


Stubborn Helping Hand

by memeingemilia



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ballroom Dancing, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, King Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, M/M, Mystery, Oh so slow burn, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot, Royalty, Slow Burn, Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers, Townsman Hinata Hajime, Yes there is a dog, royal shenanigans, they still have their talents but no ultimate title
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25752460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memeingemilia/pseuds/memeingemilia
Summary: Hinata is a poor townsman who’s been searching high and low for a job so when he hears the Royal Palace is looking for new workers, he jumps at the opportunity.At the same time, the King of Jabberwock works hard to prevent a war, keep his citizens happy and keep his luck at bay. If only he had a stubborn helping hand.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 290





	1. Chapter 1 - Accepted

It was only midday when the town’s boy was standing in front of the palace gates. He had heard rumours that the palace were looking for new workers and Hinata was in desperate need of a job. He had been going through job after job, never staying too long at once place. There was always someone who could do his work better and would replace him by the next month. The palace was truly his last hope.

He wasn’t the only one there. Crowds of people were strolling into the palace, guards lining both sides of the pathway in. All he had to do was hand in his application form and leave but just the thought shook Hinata to his core. He took small, shaky steps in, trying more hard to keep a poker facet then to calm his raging thoughts.

The entrance to the castle was outstanding. Gold lavished all around the edges carved into intricate patterns that weaved into each other. Hell, the doors itself was plated in gold and extremely thick. The sturdy door was currently wide open, letting the stream of citizens pour in.

Stepping through the doorway, it lead to a hallway that was a few meters long. A dozen guards stood at the door at the end of hallway, staring threateningly at the people leaving their applications on the wide table in the middle of said hallway.

Hinata hurried to the table, left his forum on one of the many piles and left even faster. Once he walked back out, he felt like he could breathe again. The stiff guards, the gold the lined every wall and the polished marble floor really screamed ‘poor’ at him.

He walked back out the gate and down the bridge connecting the castle and city together, until he saw a familiar face.

“Makoto?” He called out, the boy looked up.

“Hinata! I’m so glad you’re here.” He shot Hinata with a gleaming smile that could make any of the stone guards nearby smile.

“I’m happy to see you too, but I must ask why are you here?”  
“Same reason you are I suppose.” Makoto shrugged.

“Well I hope you get the job. If we both get it we can hopefully see each other more often.” Makoto lived in the city with his girlfriend Kyoko while Hinata lived on the outskirts of the city with his parents and sister Nanami.

“I’m sure you’ll get it! You always get the job!” Makoto beamed. ‘If I don’t get kicked off by winter’ Hinata mumbled to himself. He didn’t need to bring down Makoto’s high with the painful truth.

“When you’re done, do you want to go to a café? I haven’t been to the city in a while, it’d be nice to enjoy my time while I’m here” Somehow, Makoto smiled even brighter.

“I’d love to go! Wait at the end of this bridge, I won’t take long.” Makoto then ran past Hinata, way more eager than he was before. Hinata strolled down to the end of the bridge. When Makoto came back, the pair picked back up their conversation as they walked down to a nearby café.

~~

It was around a week since Hinata had handed in his application form and go to hang out with Makoto when a letter slipped through the door.

“Hinata, It’s for you!” Nanami had called out to Hinata who was cutting up some vegetables in the kitchen. He left his half cut cucumber and knife on the table and walked to the front door where Nanami stood, yawning, with the letter in her hand.

“It’s quite fancy…did you anger a nobleman?” Hinata smirked at her comment.

“I promise you I didn’t; I’d like to live a little longer.” Taking the envelop from her hands, he finally understood what she meant by ‘fancy’. His address was written in such a curly handwriting he could barely read it and there was a wax seal holding it closed. Breaking the red seal, he pulled out a folded letter that was written in a much clearer handwriting.

“What does it say?” She leaned on Hinata’s shoulder to try and get better view of the letter even though Hinata was the only one in the family who could read.

“I signed up to work at the palace, seems like I’ve gotten through.”

“Good job Hinata, I’m sure this one will work out.” She gave him a supporting smile, even if she yawned in the middle of it.

“We’ll see how it goes.” Their mother came down to hear the news and congratulated him as well. Leaving the letter in the living room, he went back to the kitchen and started cutting his forgotten cucumber. He hoped Makoto got through too, he could always brighten up a rooms atmosphere in seconds with just a few words.

~~

Less than a week later, Hinata was standing in front of the same gates that lead to the very same castle. There were still as many guards as there was before but the amount of people walking in was significantly less than last time. In the middle of the gate there was a man checking if everyone that was walking in had a letter from the palace.

Hinata handed him his letter and shortly gave it back. He kept walking forward into the very same door as last time. This time, there were only two guards present and they were holding the door at the end of the hallway open. The table from last time was also gone. He walked on unsteady feet through the newly open door and was amazed at the sight before him.

It seemed to be a ballroom based on the size. Paintings with angles and clouds covered the celling as even more gold encased everything in sight. Pillars stood tall and proud as multiple chandeliers glowed above them. If there’s one way to show how wealthy the country was, it was clearly this. Not a single surface wasn’t graced with Midas’s touch.

Around 150 people were crowded in one side of the room, making comments about the ballroom they were in. The other side had crates upon crates of clothing, supposingly uniforms. Joining with the rest of the group, a large man in a suit stood near the crates and started to speak in a booming voice.

“Good evening everyone. My name is Byakuya Twogami. I will be supporting you as you get accustomed to working at the palace.” Everyone went silent as they watched ‘Twogami’ speak.

“You’re first month here will be seeing how well you work. If you don’t meet our expectations you will be stripped of your job and thrown out,” Hinata winced, “If you make it through the first month, you will be settled into different work groups. Whether it be helping in the kitchen, laundry, checking inventory, general cleaning or as a servant for the king.” Hushed voices spoke quickly too each other at the mention of the king until Twogami loudly coughed, silencing everyone again.

“Making past the first month doesn’t mean you’re safe from being kicked off, slacking is not tolerated in a place like this. Now please step forward to collect your uniform and take a booklet of the palace rules. If you cannot or struggle to read, please wait on the side and I will announce the rules.”

Everyone hurried over to the crates to find their size. Hinata luckily found his size quite quickly and grabbed a booklet before walking off to read it far away from the commotion. Around ¼ of the people there took a booklet while the rest stayed on the sides. As Twogami started reading the rules, a worker hushed him and a group of other people with a booklet to a different room to get changed.

As the worker led them there, he kept reading through the booklet. It stated mostly obvious things like ‘don’t litter’ and ‘be respectful to all royalty’. They shortly arrived at a reasonably sized room and were told to start changing.

Their uniform consisted of black trousers, a white dress shirt and a green tie with the country’s flag embodied into it. Hinata asked the worker that led them originally if he could leave and he agreed, telling him to make his way back to the ballroom.

Hinata thanked him and made his way back to the ballroom, he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt so they sat more comfortable above his elbows. When he made it back, it seemed that Twogami had surprisingly finished telling the rules and almost everyone there was changed. He then heard a familiar voice call out his name.

He turned around to see Makoto, already in his uniform, running over to him. Hinata smiled brightly at him, happy to see a familiar face.

“Hinata! I’m so happy you’re here!”  
“Me too.” He softly laughed.

They talked for a while before Twogami took the newly employed workers around the palace, showing them where supplies were and places they weren’t allowed to enter. They were introduced to some other people but Hinata’s mind was numb at that point. The overly decorated and extravagant castle was too much for him to handle at that point. He missed the comfort and familiarity of his home, it wasn’t as clean or polished as this place but it was home and it felt so much livelier then the castle. Even if there were people bustling up and down the hallways, it still felt like the palace was just a display case. Just meant to look pretty, not to be lived in.

By the time Twogami was done, most people were exhausted of going up multiple staircases and never ending hallways. When he dismissed everyone, a sigh of relief left Hinata. He quickly made his way back outside, breathing the fresh night air.

“Hey Hinata, what did you think?” Makoto had managed to catch up with Hinata even though he ran a little too quickly outside.

“It’s…nice, I guess. It’s a lot to take in at once.” Makoto nodded.

“I think it’s nice. The place is already so clean I doubt the work will be difficult.”

“True, but we have to impress Twogami enough that he’ll let us stay.”

They kept a comfortable silence as they walked back to the city, the lanterns hanging from the posts above them giving just enough light for them to see. Once the two boys made it to Makoto house, they bid each other goodbye and Hinata made his trek home.

He knew Nanami would be eager to hear his tales about the castle. She isn’t as interested as other people he’s seen but it’s quite a natural reaction to be curious about the place where the King lived. Once he left the city border, it was practically pitch black. The moonlight not providing even a crumb of light for the human eye to see.

When Hinata made it home, as expected, Nanami asked how the palace was. She was slightly annoyed at his very basic answer but she could see the sleepy threatening to overtake him. She bid him goodnight as Hinata made his way to his room. He slumped over to his bed, stumbling as he stripped of his uniform.

Tomorrow he had to walk all the way back to the palace so he knew he needed as much sleep as possible to make that journey and work throughout the day. At least Makoto was there to keep his spirits high and keep him company. One month of goody-two-shoes Hinata.


	2. Chapter 2 - First Month

The first week was probably the hardest. First of all, the walk from Hinata’s house to the palace was quite long so after hours of working just trying to clean one surface, it really took its toll. It’s also been a while since Hinata had such a physically demanding job. When Twogami demanded every nook and cranny cleaned he meant it, which meant scrubbing for hours on end in the same place waiting for it to shine.

He had debated on lying about the place being ‘spotless’ but he had seen other employees lie and the dead look they got from Twogami made shivers run across Hinata’s spine.

The palace was also gigantic. Getting around was the biggest pain in the ass. Most of the hallways looked identical; some rooms were just straight up the same room just in a different side of the castle. It didn’t help when Twogami would scold Hinata for entering area’s they weren’t allowed in even though it looked exactly the same as the last place he came from.

The towers that stood proud over the city where by far the worst. They were around 50 meters high and had a spiralling staircase all the way up to the top. Twogami had demanded that those stairs were to be cleaned as well but no one had ever seen him at the top of the stairs and most workers were already too tired to climb up, Hinata was one of them.

Besides the negatives, Hinata didn’t mind it. It was a job where he mostly kept to himself and got to be with Makoto during their free time. He also got to eat more frequently in the city with Makoto suggesting places he personally liked.

~~

The second week mirrored the last. Work was getting easier with his body getting used to the strain of it. He knew his way around 1/3 of the castle and got off Twogami’s back for going into the wrong room. However, Hinata had met some new faces.

First one was Hanamura, he was one of the many chefs in the royal kitchen. They had met when Hinata was wiping down the kitchen counters and the chef slyly gave him a biscuit while whispering a disturbingly suggestive comment. Hinata sternly denied (the comment and the biscuit) but every time he had to work in the kitchen Hanamura would always be there with a multitude of lewd comments.

After 4 days of knowing him, he could shut down Hanamura’s pickup lines before he even spoke the first syllable. Even if Hinata was disgusted by how dirty Hanamura could get he would sometimes give him leftover food from the king’s meal. He had asked the chef why he kept giving him slices of the king’s leftovers and his reply was something about getting Hinata in bed with him which he brushed off. A price to pay for some well-cooked scraps.

Second was Fuyuhiko. Hinata had accidentally walked into him. He had very much pissed him off and quickly yelped an apology when the boy reached for the sword sheathed by his side. Fuyuhiko had whispered a threat to him before storming off. Hinata later learned that Fuyuhiko was the king’s personal guard (if it wasn’t already obvious by the metal armour) and he was so thankful that he apologised fast enough that he avoided getting his kneecaps sliced off like butter.

The second time they met was slightly more civil. Hinata was making his way to the royal garden when he saw Fuyuhiko pacing up and down one of the many hallways. He overheard the words ‘bastard’, ‘king’ and a colourful arrangement of swear words. Being the good citizen he was, he approached that angered child and let him rant about some decision the king made. Even if Fuyuhiko complained that Hinata was terrible at giving advice, he had greatly calmed down and surprisingly thanked Hinata for listening.

After that little bonding session, Fuyuhiko would give a short nod when Hinata walked by and would confide in small conversation when available. He may have a temper that could do a 180 if the wind blew the wrong way but Hinata was just glad to be on his good side (and have his legs be intact)

The last one that week was Gundham; he had met the boy by the stables when Hinata watched him talking to the horses he was grooming. Originally, Hinata had tried to keep himself far away from him but eventually Gundham had striked up a conversation with him.

Hinata found it difficult to keep up with the caretaker with his creative choice of language but he was a kind guy. If Hinata finished his work earlier than anticipated, Gundham would take him around the stable and barn to show him the animals they kept on the palace grounds. He’d always mutter threats of the animal’s great power and the threat they opposed to the overworld but Hinata never really understood what he was going on about. The personal zoo trips were fun and Hinata got to pet animals he’s never touched before. Gundham was nice company when Makoto wasn’t there.

~~

By the third week, Hinata was confident enough that he could do his work blindfolded. He learnt more of the castle and didn’t have to rely so much on Makoto for company. If he didn’t get past this month there was no hope for Hinata to ever stay at one job. He was chock filled with stories about Fuyuhiko’s tantrums and Gundham’s hamsters that he tells Nanami when either of them weren’t too tired. This week, he met even more people.

Hinata had first stumbled upon Ibuki. Her outfit was covered in metal chains and dull spikes she looked even more threatening than the guards that were littered everywhere. She had a guitar and was humming a tune when Hinata approached her. The moment she opened her mouth her terrifying demeanour washed away, leaving behind a bouncy, not too bright girl.

She asked Hinata if she wanted to hear her song and he agreed. She sang in a deep aggressive voice that shook Hinata from how fast her voice changed. When she finished her song she asked for feedback and all he could give was a pained smile.

Hinata didn’t see her very often but when he did she would hand him a sheet of paper covered in doodles, scratches and lyrics and asked for his opinion. He would always say that he liked it; he didn’t have the strength to tell her that they had a very different taste of music.

The next person was Peko. Makoto had introduced Hinata to her. She was another guard for the king. Unlike Fuyuhiko, she was much calmer and respectful. She spoke in a soft yet stern tone that greatly reminded him of his mother. She was also a rare sight to see but more common than Ibuki. Maybe Hinata would subconsciously seek out Peko for her caring persona.

However, Hinata could vividly remember bringing Peko up with Fuyuhiko and seeing his face turn slightly red. He just played it off as him overheating as it was a very sunny day and he was in a full suit of armour. But he did explain that Peko was the king’s guard when he left the castle grounds which would explain why she wasn’t always at the king’s side.

And that last persona Hinata met was very special. Hinata had met him when he was meeting up with Gundham during his freetime. He was strolling his way down to the royal stable when something pushed him onto the ground. He heard footsteps quickly come towards him as Hinata wiped off the dirt that landed in his mouth.

“Wild beast, release the mortal from your constraints at once.” Hinata felt the heavy weight leave his back before standing up. Unsurprisingly, Gundham was there to help pull him back up. Looking to his left, he saw the culprit of Hinata’s ungraceful fall. A massive, white golden retriever looked up at Hinata with his tongue out and tail aggressively waging.

Hinata’s anger immediately left him as he kneeled down to play with the dog. Gundham informed him that the dog’s name was Hope and belonged to the King. Hinata ignored him to scratch and tell Hope what a good boy he was even if he just shoved him into the ground less than 5 minutes ago.

When he was done giving Hope all his love, he walked with Gundham to the stable and Hope followed. And since that day, everytime Hope saw him he would run up to Hinata and climb up his thighs. He was a joy to see but Hope did shed fur wherever he went so no matter where Hope was, there would be a few employees sweeping up his fallen fur. It was worth it to give the dog a few scratches.

~~

It was the fourth and final week of Twogami breathing down everyone’s backs. Hinata was on his very best behaviour; every wall, surface or floor he cleaned gleamed like a mirror and Hinata was confident that he would make it past the first month. His only main obstacle was Hope since he would always manage to find Hinata and would run up and climb and lick all over him.

The most interesting thing that happened that week was finally seeing the King. It wasn’t too surprising since he lived in the castle but it was the first time ever seeing him since he never went to the parades that were held for him in the city.

Hinata had been scrubbing the gold border on the wall when he heard hushed whispers from some girls next to him. Then the whispers grew a bit louder until everyone went quiet. He looked up and understood why. The group of people near the beginning of the corridor had already started bowing and then it hit.

Oh shit, that’s the king.

Since Hinata was on the ground he stood up and bowed all the way down. However, his eyes peeked up to try and get a look at the King. He was dressed in an all-white suit with golden threads embellished all over. He had a green cape flowing behind him as he took his time walking down the corridor, his footsteps echoing like a drum. He recognised Fuyuhiko, who was walking on his left, his hand resting on his sheath. And Twogami, who was flicking through a thick book on his right.

The King watched over the employees that lined the wall, eyes wavering between both sides. He kept his eyes trained on the King until he got closer to Hinata. That’s when green clashed with grey and Hinata swiftly looked away. He held his breath, eyes wide, until the noisy footsteps got quieter and quieter and the workers started talking again.

Hinata let out a sigh of relief before getting back to work, not letting thoughts about the royal intruder distract him. When Hinata went home that night, he described those 2 minutes vividly to Nanami, knowing she hadn’t seen the King either.

A few days after, the first month was over and Twogami gathered the same 150 employees to the ballroom. He congratulated everyone on their first month and informed them that they would receive a letter over the weekend if they stay or not.

He shortly released everyone and Makoto wanted to celebrate over getting past the first month without pissing off Twogami. Hinata had told him that it was far too early to celebrate but went along anyway.

When Hinata got a letter from the castle stating his work performance and that he would continue working at the castle he was overjoyed. Though, it was quite silly to be so happy over work he knew very well that winter was a hard season to get by without a job and with his parents already paying for so much. The family congratulated him on getting past the first month and even bought him some fresh oranges as a present. Life would hopefully get a little bit easier with a pay check in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay chapter 2! This was also quite a slow one but I wanted to introduce some characters. And I really wanted a big dog running around the castle so we have Hope now. I'm really bad a proof reading so sorry if there are some mistakes. Next chapter will have a lot more dialogue and more komaeda so im excited to write it. Thank you for reading and leave a kudos or comment they make my day alright thanks!!


	3. Chapter 3 - Tiny Garden

After his mini celebration with his family and Makoto, Hinata continued his work. There wasn’t a major drop in employees but the hallways definitely felt emptier to some degree.

Hinata spent an equal amount of time with all his ‘friends’. Could he call them friends? I mean, he got along well with Gundham and Peko but for people like Ibuki and Hanamura it really depended on how tolerant Hinata was that day.

Anyway, Hinata was working in the garden during a particularly dull day. The sun wasn’t burning the back of Hinata’s neck so he let himself work at his own pace. He was tending to some flowers in the furthest corner of the palace ground, a good walk away from the actual castle.

It was so quiet and peaceful there, Hinata felt like he could stay there tending to the flowers forever. However, his peace was broken when a drop of water splashed onto his nose.

He brushed it off; a small drop didn’t matter to him. That was until more water dropped onto him and he finally realized that it was starting to rain.

It was light in the beginning, the small flurry of water only partially obstructing his work. But less than a minute later the rain picked up in intensity and was becoming a nuisance. As his clothes started to soak up the water, he tidied up his work area as he looked around for some cover from the now heavy rain.

Hinata checked his surroundings as the rain continued to speed up. He located a shed nearby and ran towards it. Shaking the door, it was unfortunately locked however the roof hanged off which provided a small space to use as a canopy. He watched as the rain increased in intensity. At least he didn’t have to water the flowers.

“Ah, what bad luck…” He looked to his left to see another man standing under the canopy with him. He felt familiar, he just couldn’t pin point where.

…No wait he could definitely remember where.

That’s the god damn King. He was surprised he couldn’t identify him immediately but Hinata could be quite slow at catching things on. He felt like he was hit with whiplash as the King turned towards. 

“You got caught in the rain too? I apologise for the inconvenience.”

“Why are you apologising? You didn’t bring the rain.” Hinata almost wanted to chuckle before realising who was in front of him. It looked like the King was about to explain himself before stopping and looking back out at the rainy day.

Hinata looked down at the rag he managed to snag before running and then looked back up at the king. The rag was quite on the dirty side with mud smeared into it and there was probably sweat dried on it too but the king seemed to have struggled to find shelter basing off how his hair curled and stuck to his forehead.

“Hey uhh…you can use this cloth if you want. It’s not much but it’d be best to avoid getting sick-“ Hinata was holding out the cloth as he talked and paused when he felt the material leave his grip.

“Thank you.” Hinata looked back up to see the King aggressively drying off his hair using the rag, ignoring how dirty the cloth was. He shortly handed it back, his hair frizzier from the friction. They stood in silence until the King spoke up. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

“Hinata. Hajime Hinata.”

“Well Hinata, I’m sure someone will come soon. I’d hate to delay your work any longer.”

“No it’s fine. Again, you didn’t bring the rain.” The king seemed to be annoyed at him for bringing up his lack of connection to the sudden rain but seemed to have brushed it off once again.

Hinata looked back at the King. He wasn’t wearing as much clothes as last time. Just a white dress shirt, red waist coat and black dress pants. Of course each article had multiple intricate patterns woven into it with more gold thread but it was still quite simple for royalty. Looking down he saw a small yet thick book in his hands. He must of noticed Hinata staring since he held out the book towards him.

“You can look, I don’t mind.” Hinata took the book of his hands and inspected it. The leather cover fit snugly into his hands, warm from the previous bearer. Basing of the cover it seemed to be a fantasy book. He skimmed through the first page, jumping past the words he didn’t know (which there were a lot of).

“I didn’t know the King had time to read fictional books.” Hinata handed back the book as he spoke.

“I simply make time. I was planning to hide and read but Lady Luck wasn’t having it this time.” He looked back up at the dark sky.

“Well, where do you run off too?”

“I can’t tell you, I don’t want Twogami to find out.”

“I won’t tell him. It’s not like I’m his pet or something,” To be honest, Hinata just wanted to know what place he could run off to if he was feeling particularly tired. Of course, he didn’t want to get fired for slacking but there were hundreds of other employees and a break is always nice. I guess he had to win the King’s trust.

“…Pinky promise?” It was childish but maybe he could convince the King with it. Though he seemed more confused than convinced. However, he slowly lifted his pinkie, copying Hinata. Judging by how puzzled he looked, Hinata took the initiative and wrapped his pinkie around the Kings’. He looked quite taken back by it, clearly not understanding the message. Hinata released his grip on the King’s finger as he spoke.

“Why did you do that?”

“It’s uh… a pinky promise. It’s a thing children normally do. It’s like an oath, if one party breaks the promise they can break the other persons pinky but that usually doesn’t happen and I’d probably be executed if I broke yours so it’s just an oath.” The king luckily seemed to have understood.

“So I tell you the place and you keep it a secret, right?” Hinata nodded.

“Alright then. See those rose bushes?” He spoke more quietly as if there were people around them as he pointed to the wall of roses not too far away, getting his hand under the rain.

“If you walk through them, you’ll see a stone wall. Walk to the left until you come across a small garden. There are some benches and I keep some of my books there. It’s quite difficult getting through the roses without getting pricked so that’s probably why it’s empty.”

Hinata nodded, keeping a mental note of his directions.

“Now, if you tell Twogami I’ll make sure you are formally executed.” He spoke with a warm smile as Hinata stuttered.

“Th-that far?!”

“You didn’t plan on telling Twogami, did you? We made an oath didn’t we?”

“I know and I won’t, I just wanted to use the place for myself.” Hinata watched the King shrug before mumbling a short ‘Fine by me’. They slipped back into silence.

Not too long after, the patter of footsteps could be heard getting closer. Looking up, he saw Twogami running towards them.

“Your Majesty! How could you run off again! There’s so much work to be done we can’t have you wondering off.” Twogami was holding an umbrella over his head with another clasped tightly in his other hand. He handed the King his closed umbrella and started walking away, muttering about the King’s ‘reckless behaviour’.

Hinata didn’t know whether to follow or not. The rain wasn’t letting out and he didn’t have a way of getting back to the castle without turning into a wet dog. Luckily, the King looked back at him and signalled for Hinata to come with him.

Hinata jogged his way to the King’s umbrella and they walked off in a pair. The King talked with Twogami and Hinata stayed silent. Once they made it back to the castle, Twogami had mostly calmed down. Hinata excused himself before being stopped.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Twogami stared at him as if the answer was the most obvious thing ever. It definitely wasn’t since Hinata tilted his head like a puppy before Twogami pointed at the King with his palm and then Hinata got it.

“Thank you, your Majesty.” Hinata bowed and walked off, having satisfied Twogami. Hinata ran into Makoto further into the palace. He had laughed at the boy for his normally spiky hair getting curled from the rain. They walked off together to let Hinata dry off as he spoke of his encounter with the king, excluding the secret area part. He didn’t want to find out if the King was serious or not about that execution.

Makoto laughed at him once again when he mentioned the pinky promise situation, teasing him for doing something so childish with royalty. Even when Hinata told Nanami at the end of day, she laughed at his promise which deeply embarrassed the spiky haired boy but what’s done has been done.

~~

The second time he met the King was less than a week later. He was having a horrible day. He was woken up by rats running around his house and Hinata was the one who was picked to deal with them.

Next was Makoto skipping work from food poisoning. Hinata went to shortly visit him before work; he wished him a full recovery before setting off to the castle. And the cherry on top was getting almost double the work he normally gets from Twogami since a lot of people had not come in that day and Hinata was put to the task of doing their work (he wasn’t the only one picked but it was still a pain in the ass).

He had finished wiping and polishing an entire hallway when he called quits. He was so tired and his break wasn’t for another four hours. So he stepped out the palace and recited the directions the King had told him.

Walking up to the infamous rose bush, he could spot a small gap he could squeeze through. And so he did. He did get a few scratches from the unrelenting thorns but that was about the worse of it.

Being greeted by a stone wall, he turned left and walked down a narrow pathway. Greenery flourished and grew on his left and a sturdy stone wall stood proud on his right. After walking down the ridiculously long pathway, he found the garden.

There were two worn out benches, the cracks filled with greenery and the metal a rusted orange. Long vines and bushes stood high, acting as a wall and even covering up the shining sun to some extent. Flowers of different shades of purple, red and blue lined the green walls, their petals pointing to the heavens.

And lastly, a white-haired gentleman, sitting comfortably with his legs pulled in on one of the rusted bench’s, surrounded by pillars of books. The King looked up and gave a short smile and briefly bowed his head as a greeting.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you again Hinata, feel free take a book from my pile. Don’t let my disgusting presence disturb you.” He went back to reading as Hinata stood, taken back from his final sentence. He hadn’t heard the King put himself down like that till now but maybe it was a one off thing.

Hinata sat on the bench opposite the King, inspecting the piles of books that laid in arm’s reach.

“I’m going to nap, if it’s fine by you.” The King mumbled a quiet ‘Go ahead’ as Hinata snatched a book from his stack, opening to a random page and laying it across his face.

He had his feet propped up on the bench and sighed happily. They stayed like that for probably two minutes but for Hinata it felt like thirty minutes. For some reason, he just couldn’t sleep. He knew that if he was tired enough, he could fall asleep practically anywhere.

But something about the King’s presence left him uneasy. It wasn’t like him being there was bad, it was just that when Hinata would start to get sleepy he’d suddenly become very aware of eyes on him. It was impossible to become unconscious if he felt like his soul was being pulled apart just by someone looking at him.

So Hinata pushed the book that originally laid on his face up to his head, electing to have a conversation. Looking at the book in the King’s hand, it was clearly different from last time. So that was the topic Hinata picked.

“What book is that?” The King looked back up to Hinata.

“It’s another fictional book. It’s my personal favourite! The battle between hope and despair is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes everytime…” The King had a love struck look in his eyes.

But Hinata picked up on the King’s strange behaviour. He couldn’t pin point the exact reason but then again, he’s only talked to the King one other time so it was hard to tell if this was something he commonly did.

“Do you read often, Hinata?” The King thankfully switched the subject. Maybe he realised how freaked out Hinata was.

“If you’re asking about books then no, I don’t have time to sit down and read and I don’t walk past a library on the way home-“

“But you’re sitting here with your feet up like you’ve got all day.” Of course he had to point that out.

“It’s different this time! I’m just quite tired today.”

“I was planning to ask why you haven’t fallen asleep yet, if you’re as tired as you say you are.” That’s when Hinata had to pause. Would it be rude to tell the literal King that his presence made Hinata uneasy? It would mostly be true but he didn’t want to seem rude, especially not to someone with as much power as royalty.

“I’m just…thinking about a lot right now.”

“Then let’s read! I’m sure that will keep your mind busy!” The King spoke in such a happy tone it was hard to say no.

And so, he picked up the book that was resting on his head and flicked to the first page. The book was a tad higher than his reading abilities so he had the King help him with some words.

They finally sat in a comfortable silence, immersed in their own books. That was until around ten minutes passed when the King reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his golden pocket watch.

“Twogami should be looking for me soon. It was lovely reading with you Hinata.” The King slipped a bookmark into his book, setting it aside.

“I enjoyed reading with you too.” The King nodded his head and Hinata copied him before the white-haired king ran off. Hinata stayed there for just a while longer until he pushed himself up, getting back to work.

~~

The two met up quite frequently. Hinata would usually find himself running into the King, giving a short bow and running off. Other times, they would sit down and talk, either during Hinata’s break or when both of them decided to hide from Twogami.

The small garden became their little spot. Luckily Twogami hadn’t found that place so they kept going back to it. I guess Hinata could consider the King a friend now.

It was a Tuesday morning when Twogami had stormed up to Hinata. To say he was panicking wasn’t even the start of it. He thought that he had finally got caught slacking and was going to be fired. Hinata was prepared for the absolute worst, clearing his throat to prepare his never-ending apologies’.

However, Twogami had just handed him a small stack of paper, no more than 10 pages.

“Requested by His Majesty, you have a week to decide.” Hinata awkwardly took the booklet as Twogami rushed off. Requested by the King? He stopped his cleaning to read the stack of papers in his hand.

As he read, he learned more about a different kind of job in the palace. A personal servant, someone who works directly for the King. They were under the King’s beck and call, their main priority was to help him with his daily tasks.

He was confused as to why he received the booklet. Why did the King request this to be given to him? He was about to walk to Twogami’s office until he turned to the last page.

There was a form, asking whether he wanted to work as a personal servant or not. That cleared a whole lot for Hinata. Knowing that in mind he read through the rest of the papers.

He was planning to decline. He didn’t dislike being around the King but always being with him would get tiring quickly. And then he read that he would have to live in the castle in case the King needed him during the night.

That put him on the edge. Living here would be amazing, especially if he was able to eat proper castle meals instead of scraps. But he would miss coming back home, seeing Nanami and his parents, being in the comfort of a familiar cottage.

But not too far down laid the winning ticket.

‘Increased pay check.’

Well why didn’t they say sooner! He could make a few sacrifices to help provide for his family. He looked around for a pen and signed the form. He marched to Twogami’s room, handing in the booklet.

“That quickly? Are you completely sure?” Hinata nodded and Twogami just shrugged. He dismissed him and Hinata went back to work.

When he went home that day, he told his family about his new position. They were upset that Hinata wouldn’t come home after work but congratulated him either way.

He didn’t know when he would start his new position but Hinata spent his time relaxing with Nanami, enjoying however long he had being back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow was this chapter long. I didn’t realise until I finished writing that I didn’t include any of the people introduced in chapter 2 but I promise that I haven’t forgotten about them. But now we can finally get to the Adventures of Komaeda and Hinata! Thank you for reading and to those who left a kudos, comment or bookmark, I love ya’ll <3


	4. Chapter 4 - Upgrade?

Hinata panicked when he was called into Twogami’s office. He hadn’t been to the secret garden in a few days but that doesn’t mean he didn’t pick up on all the other times he went.

So as Hinata sat on a leather armchair that faced Twogami’s grand desk, he fiddled with his fingers and bounced his leg as Twogami dug through file after file. Hinata was so distracted by his hurried motions that he almost tuned out the sound of Twogami closing a drawer with a stack of papers in hand.

He watched as Twogami scribbled and stamped on the papers infront of him before fixing the pile and pushing it aside. He reached to his right and pulled out a small pin and key that was hiding behind a thick stack of books and handed it to Hinata. The pin was the symbol on the country’s flag, the two red hooks, hooked onto each other.

Hinata pinned the symbol on his breast pocket and slipped the key into said breast pocket, looking back up at Twogami for instructions.

“You will be starting your job as a personal servant for His Majesty today, please follow me.” Twogami stood up and walked out the door, clearly not wanting to wait for Hinata to catch up. So the spiky haired boy ran after him, speed walking closely behind him. 

The pair walked in silence. Despite Twogami’s size, he was incredibly fast. Hinata found himself having to jog to keep up with him, especially around corners. They walked through many corridors that Hinata was quite familiar with until they turned into a hallway that he hadn’t been before. Compared to the last hallway they came from, the drop of workers was significant but there were still people hurrying up and down with crates and buckets in hand.

After a painfully quick walk, they made it to their destination. There were two faceless guards standing in front of a large wooden door. Even with both of the guard’s wide shoulders, it still couldn’t reach the length of the door. They moved to the side, letting Twogami walk up and loudly knock on the door.

There was a few seconds of complete silence, even the sounds of horses, chains and chatter outside seemed to have gotten quite. However, the silence helped Hinata to hear a very muffled, almost inaudible reply from the other side of the door.

Twogami swung both doors wide open and walked in as Hinata waddled behind. Looking around at his new surroundings, it seemed that they had entered the King’s chamber. If the bed with deep green curtains drawn all around the perimeter along with bookshelves and paintings lining the walls didn’t give it away enough.

Twogami rushed to the desk that the King was currently sitting in. He rose from his seat as Hinata walked to Twogami’s side.

“May I introduce Hajime Hinata, your new personal servant.” Hinata briefly stepped back to bow down to the King.

“Thank you Twogami, I shall take it from here.” The King spoke in a soft but clearly authoritative tone. Twogami also bowed but not nearly as deep as Hinata did. He watched as Twogami strolled out the room, closing the door behind him.

“I’m deeply grateful that you accepted my offer, Hinata.” He looked back to the King to see him wearing a calm smile.

“Oh, you’re welcome? To be fair, I have no clue why you chose me.”

“You see, Twogami had been constantly bringing up the suggestion of a personal servant. I’ve been declining for a while but I eventually caved in. I’m sorry for having dragged you into this, I couldn’t think of anyone else and I’m not exactly close to any of the other-“

“No, it’s fine! I had a choice to decline; you didn’t force me into anything.” Hinata tried to say in the most comforting way possible. The King looked away sheepishly. However, the King perked up and looked back at him.

“Twogami gave you a key, correct?” Hinata slowly nodded, reaching into his breast pocket to pull out the mentioned key. The King held out his palm as Hinata handed him the key. He watched as he inspected it, brushing over the numbers carved into the side.

The King then grabbed Hinata’s wrist before dragging him over to the door he came from. The guards that stood in front of the door moved aside again when they noticed the King trying to leave. Hinata was still processing the King grabbing his wrist as he was pulled down the corridor, reaching a door at the very end.

He finally let go of Hinata’s wrist to go and unlock the door. Said door was significantly less impressive than the King’s one as he pushed it open, signalling Hinata to follow him.

Inside was a decently sized room with a single bed, desk, closet, shelves and a doorway leading to a bathroom. It seemed to be just cleaned by the lack of dust and washed floors.

“And this is?”

“It’s your room. You are aware that you will be living at the palace, correct?” Oh, that cleared a lot up. The King handed back Hinata’s key before searching around his room, as if he was looking for something.

“Of course I know that, I just didn’t expect it to be so close to your room.” The King didn’t stop searching as he spoke.

“Part of your job is always being readily available, the closer your room is the easier it is.” The King then walked into the bathroom, leaving Hinata in the main room.

He sat down on the newly made bed, feeling his body sink down into the mattress. His mattress back at home was definitely not this cushiony, it would take some getting used to. He laid down, letting the soft mattress and comforting duvet encase him. He wondered how the King’s bed felt, how could it improve from this?!…Speaking of His Majesty…

“Even if my room is abnormally close, I’d still have to walk through the hallway to reach your room so I don’t see why distance is so valued.” He waited for the King’s rebuttal but it never came. Hinata sat up, looking around his room.

“Your Majesty?” He stood up and walked to the bathroom where he last saw him go. However, he wasn’t there either. He turned in a slow circle, inspecting every corner of the bathroom.

“Your Majesty--“

“You don’t have to use formalities, it’s not like Twogami is around to scold us.” Hinata jumped at the sudden voice. He quickly twirled around to see the King leaning his hip against a smoothed stone wall. It seemed he had found a hidden passage way. A piece of the bathroom wall clearly had hinges attached to them and swung open to show a dark passageway.

“What are you- I—“

“THIS is why our rooms are considerably close.” He turned around and walked into the darkness as Hinata hurried after him.

Burnt out candles lined the walls at equal intervals as the pair walked through the significantly cold passageway.

“Uh, Your Majesty. How did you know of this place?”

“To answer your question, Twogami had told me of it a while ago. He described to me how to get to the passageway from the servants room but since I didn’t know the layout I couldn’t pinpoint where the exit to my room was. That’s why I hurried here so quickly.” His voiced slightly echoed as they walked.

“And once again, please don’t use formalities.” He finished off.

“If not your title, what do you want me to call you?”

“Preferably my name.” And that’s when Hinata had to mentally pause as he just now realised.

What was the King’s name?

He had been calling him by his title for so long he forgot that he should’ve definitely checked a newspaper or something for his name. But it was too late now. He’d probably get scolded again if he kept trying to use his title, especially since he’s practically stuck to the hip with the King now.

“I’m sorry for asking but, what is your name?” At one point, the King’s back was facing him and but now he was face to face with him. He wore a confused expression that was heavily doused in amusement.

“Are you messing with him? Do you genuinely not know my name?” The King seemed to slow down on the last question, clearly not believing him. Hinata raised his hands in surrender.

“I just don’t read the newspaper often and most of the information I get is from Makoto and he’s never really brought your name up before so I just never learnt it um..sorry?” Hinata quickly spoke, making his claim as fast as possible.

“Well, my name is Nagito Komaeda. Just call me Komaeda.” He turned back around and continued his walk, Hinata following right behind.

“Right, of course. Thank you…Komaeda.” He’s sure he heard the King—Komaeda chuckled in his usually breathy tone as they plunged further into darkness. 

“Ow!” He heard Komaeda hit something and held a worried hand to his shoulder.

“Are you alright?!”

“Yes, I’m fine…It seems we’ve reached the end.” He could barely see however he could faintly make out Komaeda’s pale hands reaching out and pushing the wall, letting light pour in.

Hinata shielded his eyes, the light being far too bright after the walk through the hidden passageway. Once his eyes adjusted, it was fairly obvious they made it to Komaeda’s room. The pair walked out and looked behind them, noticing that the door that lead to the passageway was part of a bookshelf. The books must have been tightly packed together since none of them dared to fall off.

Komaeda closed the door, concealing the path entirely.

“Do you like your room, Hinata?” Komaeda turned towards him, hands clasped behind his back.

“Uh, Yes? It is an improvement from my room at home.”

“Wonderful…may I ask, when is your lunch break?” Hinata looked around Komaeda’s room, landing a clock that hung on his wall and squinting to read it.

“In 30 minutes.”

“Would you like a tour of the palace in the meantime?” Hinata perked up at the suggestion. It would be enjoyable to see the rest of the castle.

“Sure.”

The two trailed off. Komaeda took him around to many rooms such as his lounge, library and drawing room. He momentarily explained why he enjoyed each room and let Hinata have some time to look around.

Each place was thoroughly furnished with lavished furniture. Hinata truly felt out of place in such a regal site. Even if Komaeda was just strolling around in his undershirt and dress pants, he still held this commanding aura that even intimated Hinata at times.

By the time Hinata was looking around the armoury, he noticed that his lunch break had started three minutes ago.

“Ah, Komaeda? My breaks already started.” Komaeda also looked to check the time before sighing.

“Right, have fun.” Hinata bowed and jogged off.

Being in a new area meant that Hinata did briefly get lost but eventually found his way to the front gate where he saw Makoto leaning against the stone wall that surrounded the castles grounds. He perked up when he recognised him.

“Hinata! I didn’t see you at all today! What were you doing?” Makoto ran up and gripped Hinata’s arm

“Right, remember the job offering I was given?” Makoto’s eyes grew.

“Oh! You finally started working, well congratulations Hinata.” Makoto dragged Hinata by his arm through the palace gates, rambling on about some restaurant he went to with Kyoko.

They went off to eat as Hinata described his new room and the places Komaeda had shown him. Makoto was taken off guard when he first heard Hinata call the King by his name, which made him blush lightly.

\--

After a painfully confusing 10 minutes, he made it back to Komaeda’s chamber. He walked up to the guards and asked if he could enter. They asked if he was the King’s personal servant and he slowly nodded. He was then redirected to his library.

Unfortunately, the guards didn’t tell him how the hell to get to the library and Hinata forgot to ask so he was wandering around the palace, trying to retrace his steps to Komaeda’s library.

After an uncomfortably long time, Hinata was just pulling open any door he felt like was the right one. Of course he was wrong but eventually, EVENTUALLY he swung open another door to be greeted with the sight of Komaeda sitting at a large desk with Fuyuhiko holding a sword to his neck. There was also Hope, who was sitting on the ground with his tail wagging.

At…least he made it to the right room?

“Ah, welcome back Hinata!” They all turned towards him. Komaeda still had a gleaming smile even with a sword to his throat, Fuyuhiko looked confused and Hope’s ears perked up at his name and ran towards him.

Hinata prepared himself for Hope to climb up his legs, panting in joy. Hinata giggled at the overjoyed dog, giving him a few head scratches before looking back up at the pair.

“Am I going to get an explanation on what the hell is going?” Hinata gestured to the sword that wasn’t letting down at Komaeda’s throat.

“Oh it’s nothing to worry about; me and Kuzuryu just had a disagreement, that’s all.” He watched as Fuyuhiko slowly lowered his sword and slipped it into his sheath.

“I didn’t know that you were working for the King…” Fuyuhiko gave him a suspicious look. Komaeda look towards Fuyuhiko with his elbows resting on his desk.

“Are you two acquainted? Well that makes this easier. He’s my new personal servant.” Komaeda went back to writing on the paper infront of him.

The trio conversed. Even if it was mainly Hinata and Fuyuhiko doing the talking as Komaeda worked away. There was a nearby sofa that Fuyuhiko and Hinata sat on comfortably with Hope laying across Hinata’s lap. Their conversations never stayed on one topic too long. It would switch from Fuyuhiko’s outings to palace gossip to Komaeda’s ‘luck cycle’ and a range of other subjects.

Worker’s walked in and out but none of them paid any attention to them, just letting them do their job. That was until one certain servant came in.

“Your Majesty, the carriage you requested has been prepared.” The worker bowed in an awfully stiff manor.

“Thank you, you are dismissed.” The worker closed the door behind them and left the pair sitting on the sofa in confusion.

“Hey clover, it’s almost dark why are you requesting a carriage?” Fuyuhiko voiced the exact same question Hinata had in mind. Komaeda looked up from his work to watch the two.

“It’s not for me, it’s for Hinata.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“For me?”

“Of course, you will be living at the castle for the time being so I ordered a carriage so you can collect your belongings.” Hinata nodded his head to let the King know he understood.

“I’ll get going then.” Hinata stood up and walked out the room, having to push Hope back into the library so he wouldn’t follow him. He guessed that the carriage would be at the castle gates so he found his way outside.

It was while he was walking to the outside of the palace that he realised most of the workers had went home as the hallways he normally walked through were practically barren. He never realised how creepy it would be to walk through a darkened, lifeless hallway but here he was. He mourned the fact that he couldn’t walk home with Makoto.

Once he made it outside, he was greeted with the sight of a black carriage with a metal frame and wheels with 2 equally black horses in the front. There was a man leaning against the carriage. He looked up once he heard Hinata’s footsteps.

He felt the man eye up the pin attached to his pocket before pulling open the carriage door for him. Hinata walked up to the door but stopped to thank the man and tell him his home address. He stepped in and sat on the deep blue cushions that were threaded into the carriage.

The door closed and shortly after the carriage started moving. As the carriage circled around the roundabout, Hinata was stunned with how a poor townsman like him was now sitting in something only nobles and royalty got to experience.

He felt quite fancy the ride home. He enjoyed the bumps and shakes of the uneven ground and the sound of horses neighing. It felt comfortable. And for some reason, it felt like home.

He would’ve fallen asleep on the carriage if it didn’t abruptly stop. Looking out the square window, he recognised his house.

He stepped out of the carriage and walked in. He was met with a surprised Nanami.

“Don’t tell me you just came from that carriage?!” She spoke in shock and Hinata awkwardly laughed.

“Yeah, I just started the whole personal servant thing today so I’m just here to get my things.” He could see the sadness dripping off her face.

“You promise you’ll come and visit?” Hinata nodded which seemed to have brightened Nanami’s mood, if only a little bit.

The two packed Hinata’s belongings into a small suitcase. The whole time they were packing, Nanami was reassuring Hinata to not worry about her and their mother and that they’ll be fine on their own, which only slightly soothed his soul. He hugged both Nanami and his mother before heading out.

Once he exited the front door, he looked back at his home. He would miss the comfort and safety of it but just because he wasn’t currently staying there, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be home anymore.

Hinata went back into the carriage and placed his suitcase on the seat next to him and the carriage took off again. He could see Nanami tiredly waving at him from the shutter window and he waved back before riding away.

\--

Hinata was back in his room with his suitcase open on his new bed. He was stuffing away all his trinkets and belongings. Once the suitcase was hollow again, he stuffed it into his closet and laid down on his bed.

He slipped out of his uniform before putting on a plain white t-shirt he had laying on his bed. He blew out the candle near his bed before pulling his duvet over his body and shuffling into bed.

The bed was still ungodly comfortable. He was slightly worried on how he was supposed to wake up in the morning while he was encased in the duvet’s warm hug.

He still missed his home though. It was nowhere near as comfy as the bed he was currently in but being able to sleep with people he knew and wake up to his mother’s breakfast honestly kept him going.

He wasn’t sure how long it would take to adjust. The palace was lush with gold and expensive items but this place was only really housing one person. No matter how many people slept and ate and lived in the castle, it was only meant for one person.

The small compact house was perfect for him. This place was the completely opposite of what he desired.

Hinata pressed his face further into his pillow, holding back to tears. He was aware the first few nights would definitely be rough but he didn’t want to cry about it. He should be thankful for having such a luxurious room but not being able to see his family before falling asleep weakened his heart.

Even if he tried to prevent it, quiet tears fell out. Even if he was crying, Hinata was mentally drained. His brain was craving sleep and he wasn’t planning to fight back. And so, he fell asleep with a small wet stain on his pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually was kinda stooped on what to write this chapter so I hope it wasn’t TOO boring. Anyways, thank you for reading! Every kudos, comment, bookmark, hit absolutely slaps so thank you very much. I’m gonna say here that updates will probably slow down since school starting soon and all that jazz but I will still be writing, just at a slower rate.


	5. Chapter 5: Horses

It had been over a week since Hinata started working directly for Komaeda. He was surprised how easy of a job it was. It was nowhere near as physically demanding as cleaning the palace and Komaeda would let him run free around the castle pretty often.

Hinata had gotten used to the new routine. It was in the early hours of the morning that he would wake up. The sun would only be able to nudge their way through the curtains, leaving slivers of light in their path. He was used to waking up fairly early so getting out of his tired state was a perfected art form.

Slugging out of his bed, he strolled over to his wardrobe. He slipped on the same uniform he wore every day. He had been given multiple pairs by Twogami so he could switch it out now and again but there was rarely a time that he could wear his own clothing. At least the uniform was made out of a comfortable material.

From there he would go and eat breakfast with the rest of the staff that lived there. There was a separate dining room for those workers. It had a long wooden table stretched out across the room with over 100 chairs circling the table. Even with the length of the table, it would still be a tight squeeze to fit everyone in, but that was the last of his concerns.

When he entered the dining room, over half the table was full. The room was already filled with gossip bouncing back and forth between groups and the clinking of cutlery. Taking in the fresh smell of cooked food, he went and sat down in his usual seat, he didn’t always make it to his preferred seat but he would always try to sit there.

To his right sat Kazuichi Soda. He had only become friends with him since he usually sat next to Hinata but he honestly couldn’t complain. It was quite lonely sitting and eating by himself so he enjoyed the small talk they had.

Soda was a mechanic who worked on building and fixing the royal carriages. His favourite conversation topic was whatever new carriage he got to fix. Some days, Hinata was just too tired to keep up with him but just letting the boy rant seemed to satisfy Soda.

They talked and ate their meal which consisted of some meat, eggs and bread. Soda had finished quicker than him and ran out so he could go back to whatever carriage he was squealing about. Hinata finished not long after and made his way to the kitchen.

Once he made it there, he would usually greet Teruteru. It was…mainly out of politeness. Hinata honestly didn’t want to; hearing some lewd remark while the sun was barely in the sky should count as a criminal act. Lucking he wasn’t there that morning.

However, Hope was there. He seemed to have just finished his breakfast and was panting with joy at the sight of Hinata. Even in the early hours of the morning, he still had so much energy it cheered Hinata up immensely. He picked up the tray that was left on the side for him and walked to Komaeda’s room, hearing the sound of Hope’s light footsteps behind him.

The tray he was carrying had the usual on it, a teapot, teacup, plate of food and a small glass filled with a strange assortment of pills. He hasn’t asked Komaeda what the pills were for but his guess was just vitamins since Komaeda was worryingly pale and thin.

When Hinata finally made the trip between the kitchen and Komaeda’s chamber, the guards outside of his door moved apart and let him and Hope in. Once inside, Hinata gently put his tray down on Komaeda’s writing desk and walked towards his bed.

The thick emerald curtains were lined all around the bed, covering it completely. Hope was already by the bed, looking up at Hinata expectantly. So he pulled them apart to reveal an obviously sleeping Komaeda. His face was pressed again his pillow with even more pillows surrounding his body along with a duvet and blanket layered on top of him.

Making sure the curtains were pulled all the way to the end. He made his way to the windows which obscured the morning’s daylight. And so, he opened them up, having to quickly shield his eyes from the blinding sun. He went along the wall, opening up every curtain so the room was showered in light.

However, even with the sun shining directly onto Komaeda’s bed, he hadn’t woken up at all. Usually he would wake up from the light but I guess today wasn’t that day.

So then it was time for Plan B. It seemed Hope already knew exactly what would play out.

He already had his front paws on Komaeda’s bed, panting in anticipation. Hinata walked over to Hope and gently patted his lower back, his signal to let Hope know he could go ahead.

And so, Hope climbed up Komaeda’s bed and immediately went to licking his face and barking. It worked instantly, Komaeda’s body curled up, hiding his face in his duvet from the relentless dog saliva.

With a job well done, Hinata walked back over to the tray he left behind and brought it over to Komaeda’s bed. By the time he sat down on the edge of his bed, Komaeda had already sat up with Hope sitting beside him. He could clearly see Komaeda struggling to open his eyes with the light shining into them.

“Good morning, Komaeda,”

“….good morning Hinata…” Komaeda’s voice was rough with sleep and was coated with sleepiness. Hinata placed the teapot, cup and pills on his bedside table, placing the tray containing just his food on his lap. Hinata leaned over Komaeda’s legs to pick up Hope and place him on the ground so that he wouldn’t be able to eat Komaeda’s food. But he still rested his front paws on the bed to look.

Komaeda’s eyes had mostly opened as he picked up his fork and toyed with his food.

“Are we doing anything interesting today? Or are we just reading in the library as always.” Hinata leaned back on his hands as Komaeda briefly smiled.

“I was actually planning to go horse riding today, some new guards have been hired and I wanted to love to go out to the forest with them.” Komaeda had finally stopped playing with his food and started eating. Hope ran off towards the window, barking at some birds perched nearby.

“Horse riding?! I’ve never been on one before.” Hinata rested a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

“It’s not too difficult. Your horse will probably be attached to mind so it will be easier to control,” Komaeda then muttered, “If you wish to come along of course.”

They sat in silence, only the sound of birds and Hope barking at those birds was heard. Hinata poured Komaeda a cup of tea and handed him both the tea and pills.

He swung back all of the pills at once and drank some of the tea, going back to eating his food. Hinata left him be and went over to his closet.

“What are you even supposed to wear for horse riding!?” He flicked through his rack of shirts.

“Nothing too grand, something light should do.” Hinata didn’t realise he had asked that question out loud but worked with the vague answer he got from the King. He pulled out a crème shirt with matching crème trousers, black riding boots, a dark green waist coat and tail coat. It seemed suitable enough.

Laying the clothes he picked on a couch nearby, he walked back to Komaeda and took away his tray. He noticed that Komaeda hadn’t eaten a lot, less than half of the food was gone. He put the tray back on the desk and waited for Komaeda to finish his tea and to go brush his teeth.

Hinata played with Hope until he saw Komaeda walk over to his vanity and sit in front of it. Hinata mentally prepared himself for perhaps the worst part of the day.

Brushing his hair.

Even though it looks so fluffy it was far from that, especially in the morning. His hair was a sea of knots and tangles that his hairbrush suffered through daily. Komaeda had expressed his hatred for brushing his hair, complaining how difficult and tiring it was. So Hinata was tasked to brushing it.

He walked behind Komaeda and leaned over to get the hairbrush. The poor golden brush…And so he stood there, threading through knot after knot until his hairbrush was able to glide through his locks. Both Hinata and Komaeda winced at the scraping of tangled hair.

He knew he was done when his hairbrush peacefully slid through his hair and Komaeda relaxed in his seat, eyes closed in relief. Hinata opened one of the many boxes that laid on the vanity. The particular one he opened contained an assortment of ribbons, all in different lengths and colour.

He pulled out a dark green one that matched his tail coat and bunched his hair up, leaving Komaeda’s neck exposed. He tied the ribbon around his hair tightly; making sure it could hold it up. Once the ribbon was securely tied, he made a little bow and looked at Komaeda in the mirror.

He definitely looked good with his hair tied up. 

Hinata stepped back, giving Komaeda room to push his chair back and stand up. Komaeda walked over to his clothes to get changed and Hinata sat in the seat Komaeda was originally in. He opened up the rest of the boxes that contained different types of jewellery and started digging.

One thing Hinata didn’t expect was how picky Komaeda was with his jewellery. He would scold Hinata on his choices but refused to choose for himself. Komaeda’s response for not picking his own jewellery was simply for his own amusement; apparently he enjoyed watching Hinata struggle to decide on what would satisfy the King.

Annoying bastard.

Hope had joined him in the search, sniffing the rings and bracelets that lay on the table and in his hand. He had tried to take on in his mouth which Hinata promptly took out. He definitely wasn’t using that one.

By the time Hinata finished his selection, Komaeda was already changed and seated on the couch, waiting for Hinata to finish. He had a playful grin on his face as Hinata approached him.

In one hand he had a gold chain he planned to attach to his green tail coat along with some brooches. The other hand had around 6 rings and 3 bracelets.

Holding out the hand with the rings and bracelets, he let Komaeda peer into his hand and inspect it. He picked up 4 rings and 2 bracelets. He put the ring on random fingers for both hands and both bracelets on his left.

Once Komaeda finished, he let Hinata attach the short gold chain onto his tail coat, hooking it onto both sides of the clothing, replacing the use of a button. He then pinned the brooches onto his pocket, they apparently meant something but Hinata couldn’t care less.

“You’ve gotten better at your selections.” Komaeda spoke as Hinata struggled to attach the brooches onto his coat.

“It’s not like I have a choice.” Komaeda smirked again and Hinata leaned back when he was done. Komaeda stood up and Hinata followed. They walked out of the room and made their journey to the royal stable.

They were silent during the walk, having no need for any conversation. But Hope was walking in between the two boys, happily waddling his way down the halls.

Once they made it to the stable, he could see a dozen guards all standing in a line while a man with spiked gelled hair stood in front of them. Gundham was also there, tending to one of the horses, along with Peko who just stood on the side.

Once the pair walked closer to the stable, Komaeda quietly cleared his throat and the spiky haired man turned around.

If his thick eyebrows didn’t shock Hinata enough, he bowed down so fast Hinata felt a rush of air sweep by him. Komaeda asked for him to rise, clearly amused by the strange man’s stiffness.

Hinata zoned out as Komaeda asked the massive-eyebrows man questions about the journey. He was woken up by fingers snapping in front of his face. Looking to his left, he saw Komaeda.

“We’re leaving shortly, follow me.” And Hinata did. They walked to the end of the stable and Hinata watched as Komaeda elegantly sat on his horse. Hinata just awkwardly stood next to his horse, confused as to what to do.

So Komaeda had to instruct him, he spat instructions and let Hinata piece together what he meant. Hinata did manage to get onto the horse but he sat the wrong way and sighed in agony. Komaeda just watched in deep amusement, doing nothing to help him.

But finally, FINALLY he got it. Less…gracefully than Komaeda but he was on the horse, facing the right way. Most of the other guards had already made their way to their horses.

Gundham then went over to Komaeda and gently pulled his horse by it’s reigns out of its stable. He had short rope with clips on him and used it to attach both Hinata’s and Komaeda’s horse together before walking away to tend to someone else’s horse.

“I already talked to him about your inexperience so now you’ll be completely safe!” Komaeda beamed as Hinata curled.

“I’m not entirely sure, are you a safe rider?”

“When I want to be.” Hinata had no time to evaluate Komaeda’s words as the angry eyebrows man called out.

He herded everyone together and slowly led them to the front gate. Sitting on a horse was very unnatural to Hinata, the swaying was very unsteady and Hinata had to constantly swat away flies. His hands were squeezing the reigns as his legs pressed into the saddle.

When he wasn’t hyper focused on the way his horse was rocking, he managed to spot Hope sitting on the ground near the gate, he could softly hear him whining. Hinata heart shattered but he was stuck on a horse now and couldn’t comfort the poor dog.

They left the castle grounds and slowly trotted through town. Hinata’s nerves had calmed down to some degree as Komaeda distracted him with conversation.

Hinata asked him who the eyebrow guy was and he learned his name was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Apparently he was in charge of the guards the same way Twogami was in charge of the servants.

It was when the group left the city and started trotting on dirt, that the guards in front of them started to speed up. Hinata panicked as he saw and felt Komaeda speed up his horse.

“Wait, Komaeda no-“  
“We can’t just stay behind.” Hinata’s horsed started to speed up and he gripped his reigns even tighter.

He saw as a grin crept up Komaeda’s face, adrenaline radiating off of him. Hinata felt like gripping onto the horse’s neck but held himself back. Instead, he slightly leaned forward, which helped to deal with the increase in speed.

Peko was behind them, following them at the exact same pace. The guards were quiet a distance away and Hinata prayed to the god’s above that Komaeda didn’t even consider speeding up.

Luckily, they didn’t. They were still at a quick pace but their horses weren’t galloping like the guards. Maybe he was being considerate of Hinata’s increasing fear but that was highly unlikely.

Once they covered a good distance, they slowed down. Going back to the slow speed they were at when they were in the village. They whole group was encased in tall trees, with wildlife and nature flourishing around them.

“Are you enjoying the trip, Hinata?”

“Except wanting to cry at this very moment, I’m loving it.”

“Hinata we didn’t even go that fast, the guards were much faster.”

“Yeah well I’m not a guard or rich enough to go riding daily so you’ll have to bear with me, _Your Majesty_ ” Komaeda visibly cringed at the title. However, he couldn’t make a rebuttal as the sound of an arrow being shot was heard.

One of the guards was shooting towards a dear nearby. It was quite the distance but surprisingly the arrow hit, causing the deer to start running but was limping instead.

The guard shot another arrow and successfully killed the deer and all the guards cheered. Ishimaru went off to collect the deer and the cycle repeated.

A guard would shoot some animal, hit it, shoot a few more arrows and kill it, Ishimaru would then collect it. Hinata was impressed how the guards almost never missed but mainly stuck to talking with Komaeda. As more animals were killed, Komaeda was starting to get tenser and more rigid.

“Komaeda, is everything okay?” Komaeda looked up at him with owl eyes.

“Of course, why?”

“You seem stressed, is there something wrong?” Hinata spoke in a worried tone. Komaeda then sighed and directed his gaze towards the guards in front of them.

“Don’t you think they’re doing…too well?” Hinata’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Too well...Isn’t that better?”

“I guess but, no one can get that lucky with animals. Especially at this distance.”

“Then the distance is the problem?”

“No just-,” Komaeda paused with his head in his hand, “I just think something bad might happen.”

“Something bad, how come?”

“Let’s just say its intuition.” Komaeda had a strained smile as he played with a strand of his hair. They stayed in silence for a while, Hinata had stopped paying attention the guards. He was very worried at what Komaeda said.

Something bad? Intuition? How could being luckily relate to that?

Hinata was so buried in his thoughts he failed to recognise the pain in his arm.

“HINATA!” He woke up from his daze and immediately cried in agony. His hand reached up to his upper arm and felt an arrow imbedded into his skin.

Looking to his injured arm, the arrow pocked out and blood started to stain his clothes. The guards that were all bunched together had scattered and Ishimaru was shouting commands.

Looking up at Komaeda, his face was painted in horror, worry and grief. He shook himself out of it and started to steer his horse. Both of their horses were galloping before he knew it. The speed definitely didn’t help with the upcoming headache and the wind blowing against the arrow that made it press against his wound.

Hinata tried to keep his cries in. He occasionally winced and hissed but having an object stuck into you was excruciating. Even when they made it to the city, their galloping didn’t stop; he heard shouts from people but didn’t process them.

It was a soft call of his name that made him jolt from his trance. They were back at the stable. Komaeda was by his horse, gently touching his injured arm. Gundham and Peko were there too, but Peko seemed more worried about Komaeda than him.

They were clearly waiting for Hinata to get off and he slowly did, he felt Komaeda reach out to his non-injured arm to steady him before swiftly letting go, as if he was terrified to touch him.

He saw nurses rush into the stable that went straight to Hinata’s side and started tending to his arm. He felt like fainting right there and then so when he felt his limp body being picked up and carried away, he let his body go unconscious to deal with the pain at a different time.

\--

His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes. He lifted his arm to let it rest on top of his eyes, acting as a barrier. He was planning to fall back asleep before someone called out to him.

Moving his arm to his forehead, he looked around to catch a blurry man looking down at him. Once he thoroughly rubbed his eyes, he could recognise the originally fuzzy man as Makoto, who was standing over him with a worried but comforting smile.

“How are you feeling Hinata?”

“Fine, why?” He pushed himself up and noticed he was shirtless. He quickly covered his chest and in the process brushed over a bandage. Looking down, he saw a clean bandage wrapped tightly around his arm and that’s when Hinata remembered what happened.

“Oh, I was shot…” Hinata played with the material for a bit.

“I saw you being carried away so I followed you and stayed here till you woke up. Luckily the arrow didn’t impale you too deeply so you should heal quickly.” Makoto beamed his hopeful smile.

“Thank you, but did anyone find out who shot it.”

“They didn’t find anyone, but they believe that whoever it was, they were trying to hit the King. They missed and ended up hitting you.”

“Speaking of the King, where is he now?” Makoto looked slightly angry.

“Hinata, don’t tell me you’re planning to work right after you just woke up?!”

“No, no. I just want to know if he’s alright.”

“I believe so; I didn’t seem him at all today.” Hinata kept a mental reminder to go find Komaeda later today to check up on him. He knew he was fine but he did talk about the whole ‘intuition’ thing.

A nurse came up and did a quick check up and questionnaire. Once they were sure he was alright, he got a new shirt and was let out of the infirmary. He and Makoto had a brief chat before going their separate ways. Makoto went back to work and Hinata made his way to Komaeda’s room.

Once he made it there, he was told by the guards that Komaeda had gone out. Judging by how they didn’t tell him where he went, there was really only one place. Hinata sighed and made the journey to Komaeda’s favourite garden.

He ran into Twogami on the way whose first question was Komaeda’s whereabouts. If that didn’t confirm Hinata’s theory he didn’t know what would. He told Twogami he was also looking for him and they went opposite ways, with a short comment from Twogami wishing Hinata a full recovery.

When Hinata made it outside, he walked through the prickly rose bushes and made his way through the tight path. In the infamous secret garden, he saw Komaeda with a book and scroll of paper on his lap, aggressively writing on it. When he heard Hinata walk closer, he looked up.

He left his paper and quill on the side and ran up to him.

“Hinata! Are you alright?!” He gently gripped his arms, avoiding where the bandage was.

“I’m fine.” Komaeda pulled Hinata over to the bench he was originally sitting in. He put the book and scroll back on his lap but kept his gaze on Hinata.

Hinata leaned over and took a look at the scroll before Komaeda swatted him away.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a letter, I’d prefer you didn’t read.”

“Who is it for?”

“I’ll leave it as a surprise.” Komaeda tilted his head and grinned. He then quickly changed to a more serious but upset mood.

“Hinata…I’m sorry for what happened.”

“Komaeda, why are you apologising? It wasn’t your fault…”

“But it was! You got hit because of me!” Hinata’s face contorted in confusion.

“You didn’t shoot the arrow, how could you be to blame-“

“Just-…let me explain.” Hinata backed down, leaning against his uninjured arm.

“I have this luck cycle. When something good or bad happens the opposite will always follow. Like what happened today, the guards were hitting all their animals but you got injured. It’s something I don’t have any control over, not even a way to prevent it. I’m completely certain that this is my fault.” Hinata was stunned in silence. He didn’t understand a thing Komaeda was saying.

Luck cycle? Control? Isn’t that just coincidences?

“I…I don’t get it…Isn’t that just a coincidence?”

“No, I know it’s not a coincidence….It’s-“ Komaeda recoiled, biting his lip.

“I’ll...explain at a later date. Just so you know, be more careful when you’re around me, or in general. I can’t promise your safety.”

Hinata didn’t push it. Komaeda was so openly upset and clearly unwilling to elaborate. He’d have to wait a bit longer for more information. Komaeda snapped out of his miserable state and looked up at Hinata expressionless.

“As an apology, would you like to eat a royal meal today?” He softly smiled.

“Once again, you don’t have to apologise. But I would like to try out what you eat.” Komaeda stood up, his stuff in hand and started walking out of the garden. Hinata followed him and they made small talk along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why are my chapters increasing in length lahsdahldka anyways thanks for reading. You interacting with this fic cheers me up immensely so danke! If you have any constructive criticism (I really want to improve my writing) or anything you want to comment, please do. I love hearing what you have to say.
> 
> Also when picking the outfit for Komaeda I just randomly thought of the onceler’s green suit so alternate au, Komaeda is the onceler, thank you for coming to my ted talk


	6. Chapter 6: Princess

Winter was falling upon Jabberwock. The days were getting shorter and colder but there were no signs of snow fall yet. And so, Hinata and Komaeda were huddled up in the library with a blanket each and many candles surrounding them; Komaeda was writing a letter as per usual and Hinata was reading a book, something about wildlife, he wasn’t really paying attention.

With the colder weather, Hinata was allowed to wear a frock coat as part of his uniform. It was the same black as his pants but worked in keeping him a tad bit warmer.

Hinata tried to keep his attention on the book in front of him but it would always wander. It would specifically wander to the letter’s Komaeda kept writing but never spilling a word of its contents or who it was address to. Even though Komaeda was very tight lipped about the letters, he wasn’t going to stop bringing them up.

“Who’s the letter for?” Hinata flicked a page of his book as if he actually read the page.

“I’m not telling you, not now at least.”

“Is it the same person as last time?”

“…yes.” There was a prolonged silence until Hinata finally spoke what was on his mind.

“You know…I won’t judge you if you’re writing to a suitor. It’s completely fine if you don’t want to tell me who just--“

“It’s not for any suitor! I’m writing to a…friend.”

“…a friend.” That is the most information that Hinata has gotten at all since Komaeda has been writing such letters.

“Anyways, if you’re planning to keep on asking me futile questions I suggest you just leave, I need to focus on this” Komaeda tapped his quill on his chin, dipping it back in ink.

Hinata hadn’t seen his friends in a while and he did want to check up on them so he took the offer. He set aside his book, not bothering to mark where he left off, and then folded the blanket he originally had resting on his shoulder.

Leaving it on the table, he walked out and decided to wander around until he eventually bumped into someone.

He strolled around, hoping find a friend he could talk to. He went down a plethora of stairs and as he continued his exploration.

He eventually found Ibuki in the ballroom. She was up on the small stage where the harpsichord laid. Hinata approached her and watched as Ibuki perked up at the sound of his footsteps.

“Hinata!! Ibuki missed you so much!” Ibuki ran up to him and crushed him in a hug, the dulled spikes on her clothes pushing into him.

“I’ve- missed you too—“ He struggled to breathe as Ibuki crushed his organs, but she eventually let him go.

“I haven’t seen you in ages, where have you been?”

“I got a promotion, per se. I’m working for the King now.” Ibuki’s eyes sparkled like stars.

“Hinata’s moving up in the world?! Hell yeah!” Ibuki fist bumped the air before wrapping an arm around Hinata’s shoulder.

“Lemme treat you, my treat of course.” Ibuki dragged Hinata to the kitchen; Hinata would be lying if he said he wasn’t digging his heels into the ground.

But they made it to the kitchen where Ibuki yelled for Teruteru. Considering her vocal cords, Hinata was pretty sure the whole world could hear her scream. There was a ringing in his ears after she yelled. However, Teruteru had answered her call, strolling up with what seemed to be a nosebleed?

Ibuki asked for something but Hinata couldn’t hear past the annoying ringing. After the buzzing noise left, he saw a plate of kusamochi was in front of him.

“Hu-Huh?” Hinata was slightly delirious after that scream.

“My treat! Do you like it?” Ibuki bounced like a child.

“Oh yes, they’re my favourite actually, thank you.” Hinata started eating as Ibuki talked about some show she did at a pub. He would be listening if he wasn’t in paradise by how amazing the kusamochi was.

It was such a rare treat for him or his family to have kusamochi but when they did it was a good week, nothing could ruin his mood after a well done kusamochi.

Once he finished his desert, he let out a sigh of joy.

“-and then we completely trashed the place but the owner was fine with it so we got away scot-free, I guess they enjoyed my performance that much.” Ibuki was rambling the whole time, her fingers tapping along to a non-existent rhythm.

“Thank you for the desert, Ibuki.”

“No problem! Teruteru owes me anyway.” The pair kept talking through Hinata’s lunch break. Ibuki again treated Hinata to some more food but he didn’t eat too much considering he just had desert. But they talked until his lunch break ran up and he had to leave.

The two bid their goodbyes and with a tight hug from Ibuki, he went on his way.

Hinata was on his way back to the library, brushing off some powder from the kusamochi of his lips, when he ran into Komaeda.

“Ah Hinata, would you like to head to the garden for a while?” Hinata obviously nodded and they both strolled to the garden. On their way, Komaeda talked about a book he recently finished about a group of teenagers stuck on an island.

He went on about how the teenagers reacted with ‘such hope considering they’re situation’ and how it ‘proves that hope will always prevail no matter the circumstances’. Hinata still didn’t understand the hope obsession, but since they had arrived at their private garden, he decided to ask.

“Komaeda, you always talk about hope…but why?” The two had already sat down on a bench when Hinata had asked his question.

“I see you still don’t understand…then let me ask you this, what do you think hope is?” Komaeda tilted his head as Hinata sat back and thought carefully.

He knows that Komaeda would always praise hope, he would always make hope seem like…

“…absolute good?”

“Correct!” Komaeda clapped his hands, “Hope is a positive factor, and whatever stems from it is always good.”

Hinata was thoroughly confused but let Komaeda have his chance to talk.

“Like the story I mentioned, the children were still hopeful even in their desperate situation. Another example is that I’m still alive after all this time!”

Hinata’s face contorted to pure confusion. He had stumbled upon a bewildering concept, entirely new to him.

“That…you’re still alive?”

“Yes, remember the luck cycle I told you about? Well that cycle will keep going as long as I’m alive. The hope that comes from whatever bad luck I experience always outweighs it! If I keep going through all this bad luck, good luck will always come.”

Hinata thoroughly questioned Komaeda’s sanity. He honoured such a confusing system as if it was his religion.

Even so, Hinata felt like he was slowly starting to understand Komaeda. However, he still felt like he had barely scratched the surface.

“Ah, I’ve been talking far too much. How about we read?” Komaeda’s suggestion was a lot better than trying to understand the mess that was his beliefs and ideals.

So the two sat next to each other, reading their own books; they would occasionally talk with each other but mostly keep to their own stories. It wasn’t until the sky darkened that they went back inside.

They complained about Twogami on their way back to Komaeda’s room. They were clearly straying away from the hope talk they had.

When the pair made it to Komaeda’s room, they both entered.

Komaeda went to his bookshelves to shove away some books he was carrying as Hinata scurried over to his bathroom. He could never get over how extravagant Komaeda’s bathroom was, with more gold than any other room in the castle. He strolled over to Komaeda’s bath and turned on the faucet.

He watched the bath slowly filled up as he added a random selection of oils and herbs into the bath. The smell of lavender from one of the bottles was incredibly strong but he pushed through.

He left the bathroom, leaving the tap running and door open, so Komaeda could go in. Hinata lit up a few candles in his room before going through the secret passageway back to his.

Since the passage led to his bathroom, he went to run himself his own bath. Of course his had less oils and extra luxuries but he didn’t need all that. Hinata stripped as he let the water run, turning it off at a good point.

He let himself soak in the warm water for a while, the heat relaxing his muscles. He reflected on what Komaeda had told him. How he had brought up the luck cycle again. He had noticed that Komaeda always had this deranged demeanour whenever luck or hope was brought up (not the dog Hope, he wasn’t making that mistake again).

He decided that the silence was quite encouraging with his raging thoughts so he focused on actually washing himself. He scrubbed his spiky hair and washed his body before draining the tub. He was fairly quick with his hygiene but at least he maintained it, unlike a certain Soda.

He towelled dried his hair, watching as his normally spiky haired curled slightly from the water in the mirror. He slipped on some comfortable clothing before calling it a night. He huddled himself with his duvet as he quickly fell asleep.

\--

_Crowds of people lined the street as the police held them back. Cheering, confetti, flowers, the city looked so colourful. They were all looking at him, a smile painted on each and every face._

_He was sitting in an open horse carriage, with pure black horses pulling the carriage along. He could see a band not too far ahead, playing music for the whole country to hear. The music elevated the already cheerful atmosphere._

_It definitely looked like the whole country was gathered there, watching the carriages stroll by._

_He looked around, watching as the people hailed. He was waving his hand towards them, switching between each side._

_The sun burned the back of his head but he paid no attention to it, his eyes purely trained on the citizens before him._

_Where they there for him?_

_He kept waving until he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He didn’t look up though, still facing forward._

_“Remember to smile, I̵̢͈͍͓̬͉̬̿͝z̵̟͉͔͙̘̦̓̂͋͒̏͒̊̆u̸̡̥̱͓̼̖̩͑̎͒̿̋͜r̶̡͖̣̲̘͌u̶̦̣͙̬͔͊̈́͆̓̏”_

_He softly smiled, just enough to appease whoever had asked. Even with the energising atmosphere, he had come to expect this so there was no need to smile._

_But he’d do it if it would make….them…happy._

_He tucked a piece of black, shoulder length hair behind his ear so he could watch the crowd more easily._

_The hand that rested on his shoulder softly rubbed him in a soothing motion. He relaxed in his seat, still maintaining his smile and wave._

_Then the people started to fade, the music got more quiet, the carriage was fading, the hand on his shoulder, it was all going away before his eyes._

_He panicked. He pushed himself off his seat and reached out. But the darkness just enveloped his hand. Before he knew it, his body felt like it was burning as the darkness took over him._

\--

Hinata was very delirious when he woke up. He still felt that uncomfortable burning on his body. Maybe he was coming down with a fever? He rubbed his head before pushing himself out of his bed, steading himself.

He got himself dressed before heading down to get breakfast. Soda wasn’t there so he quickly ate his meal and left even quicker. He went to the kitchen to obtain Komaeda’s breakfast but was stopped by Teruteru.

“Teruteru, I don’t have the patience right now. Please-“

“Now, now, I’m quite busy today so we won’t be able to spend much _quality time_ ~ together but Twogami asked me to hand you this,” He pulled out a folded note from his apron, “You know Hinata, for quite an average looking man, I never expected you to receive such-“

Hinata snatched the note out of hand and briskly walked away with his tray in hand, he didn’t want to hear the last of it.

He left the note on the tray. It was most likely for Komaeda but he was curious on why Twogami had given him a note instead of telling him personally. Was he busy?

Actually, the real question was why he gave it to Teruteru of all people.

Before he knew it, he was inside Komaeda’s room. He left the tray on the side and pulled apart the curtains around Komaeda’s bed and the curtains in front of the window.

He woke up fairly quickly, only needing one window opened to be woken up. He sat up and waited for Hinata to lay the tray on his lap.

“Twogami left a note.” He poured Komaeda a cup of tea.

He watched as Komaeda opened the note, briskly reading through it. His eyes then grew wide, a small smile peeking through.

“Ah, I see she’s visiting today.” Komaeda put down the note and started to eat his breakfast.

“Who’s visiting?” He waited for Komaeda to finish chewing before answering.

“Princess Sonia from Novoselic, I’ve been writing back and forth with her for some time now. She’ll be arriving today and staying for a short while.” Hinata jaw dropped. At least he knew who Komaeda was writing too all this time.

“So it was a suitor!”

“No, I’m not marrying her. She’s just a close friend.” Komaeda huffed, returning to his food.

“Then why where you so secretive about it?!”

“To annoy you.” Hinata groaned, face-palming himself. He brushed it aside to ask more pressing issues. 

“How do you know she’s arriving today?”

“Twogami got a message from the border that her carriage came through this morning; it won’t be too long till she’s here.” Hinata walked over to Komaeda’s closet, ripping it open and peering inside.

“…help me?” It was a little on the desperate side but what was Hinata supposed to know about dressing formally? He could pick out things to wear for just a day in the palace (and horse riding, I guess) but a royal visit was new territory.

He watches as Komaeda downed his medication before joining Hinata, clicking his fingers as he checked over his wardrobe.

He started to pull out a white dress shirt with a maddening amount of ruffles, a red waist coat with golden embroidery, red dress pants, black shoes and a massive green cape with the country’s flag decorated all over it.

“Good enough?” Komaeda asked Hinata as if he knew anything about royal fashion.

“I guess.” Komaeda went over to sit down to his vanity, his leg bouncing vigorously.

Hinata walked over and started brushing his hair. Komaeda seemed to have zoned out, unaware of the tugging and pulling Hinata had to do to get his hair remotely smooth. He was spaced out the entire time, only coming back to Earth when Hinata gently tapped his shoulder.

Instead of standing up to go change, Komaeda opened one of the drawers in the vanity and pulled out a single key.

“At the end of the hallway there’s a door, use this key to unlock it and take out the green box, it should be opposite the door.” He raised his arm so Hinata could take the key.

So he took the key and left the room, greeting the guards before making his way to the end of the hallway. He spotted the door he guessed Komaeda was talking about and sped his way towards it. He unlocked it and walked in.

The room was dimly lit with no windows. The entire room had shelves lining all the walls with boxes of different shapes, sizes and colours on each shelf. He looked around, taking in his surroundings before going back on task.

He spotted the green box and picked it up. It was quite heavy but still felt empty. He rested the box on his hip and locked the door behind him. He was tempted to shake the box as he walked back to Komaeda’s room but he knew not too. Whatever was in that box was probably expensive.

Once he made it back to Komaeda’s chamber, he noticed that he was already changed. It seemed he had also picked his jewellery by himself, with chains and rings adoring his chain and hands.

Hinata placed the green box on Komaeda’s desk before slowly pulling the lid off.

Inside was an elegant crown, with jewels decorated all around and designs carved into it. It sat on a deep red cushion as Hinata gently lifted it. It was much heavier than he had expected.

He walked over to Komaeda as he bent down ever so slightly so Hinata could place the crown on his head. He softly placed it on his head, his hair curling around the crown.

Once Komaeda stood straight up, he adjusted the positing of his crown so it sat more comfortably on his head as Hinata stared. It…suited him. His hair circled his crown as if he was wearing it all his life. The jewels brought more colour to his pale completion and the sun seemed to bounce off them like a mirror.

Komaeda looked at Hinata with a confused expression.

“I know I look quite unsightly but isn’t staring a little unnecessary?” Hinata shook his head, snapping himself out of his trance.

“No, it’s nothing like that…I just haven’t seen you in a crown before.”

“Well, I only need to wear it for certain occasions. It would be impractical to wear it every day.”

“I agree, just…it looks good on you that’s all.” Hinata awkwardly rubbed his neck, a little embarrassed that he had said that out loud. But he noticed Komaeda look briefly shocked before letting a small smile grace his lips.

“Thank you Hinata.” The moment was broken by the sound of knocking on the door. It then opened to reveal a small worker standing by the door, a little shaken.

“Princess Sonia has arrived, Your Majesty.” She bowed before hurriedly closing the door behind herself.

Komaeda shrugged and calmly walked to his door and left, Hinata following behind. He kept fiddling with his fingers, needing something to do to keep his raging thoughts at bay.

They made it outside of the castle for too quickly, before he knew it a white and red carriage was parked outside and Komaeda was already in front of the door. Hinata had stood near the entrance to the castle, finding no need to follow the king.

An employee had opened the door and out came Princess Sonia. She had a gorgeous white gown that reached just to her ankles with sparkling red tulle over it. She also had a silver tiara on her head. She made small talk with Komaeda as two girls exited the carriage.

One of them had quite unnatural red hair and was wearing a green dress. She looked at Komaeda with a judging look as she stood to the side of Sonia. The second one wore a full suitor of armour. Her brown hair was tied up into a loose ponytail as she grinned widely, taking in the fresh air.

Komaeda rested his arm near his waist, letting Sonia wrap her arm around his and the two walk back into the building. Hinata followed along a good distance away. The other two ladies from the carriage followed as well.

Hinata watched as the two royal’s conversed in what seemed to be quite a cheerful conversation. The group kept walking until they ended up at the royal banquet hall. Fuyuhiko was there to open the door for the two royals and the brown haired girl had quickly rushed to hold the other door open for them.

Before entering the hall, Komaeda looked back at him.

“Could you two stay outside the hall? Princess Sonia’s request.” Komaeda calmly asked them and Hinata nodded. Komaeda then turned back around and walked into the hall, the large door closing behind them.

There were a few seconds of silence before a voice spoke up.

“Hey, you.” Hinata looked to his right to see the red haired girl standing with her hands on his hip.

“Yes?”

“You’re the King’s personal servant, am I right?”

“Yes, and I assume you’re the Princesses?” The girl nodded.

“I’m Mahiru Koizumi, I’ll be relying on you for the duration of our stay.” She held out her hand and Hinata briefly shook it.

“Hajime Hinata, nice to meet you.”

“So Hinata, how long have you been working here for?”

“Uhh…almost two months?” Hinata scratched his neck.

“Just two months? That’s not a lot of work experience, you better work hard to make a good impression.” He would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated by Koizumi’s harshness.

“I-I see, how long have you been working for?”

“A year and a half, however I worked as a painter for a short while.”

“A painter?”

“Yes, I did a few murals for Her Highnesses castle. She then hired me shortly after.”

“Do you…still paint for her?”

“Occasionally, it’s quite difficult to find time to sit down and paint. However, I would like to paint during our stay here, do you have any paints?” Hinata scratched his head, he felt like he was doing a public speech.

“Um…none that I know of…I’d have to ask Komaeda.” He thought his answer was adequate enough but Koizumi seemed to think otherwise. Her mouth had dropped and her eyebrows were clenched.

“I’m calling you ‘Unreliable Hinata’ now, seeing as you don’t know where practical equipment is. But please tell me at your earliest convenience.” Hinata nodded and another silence started.

“To be honest, I just found out that the Princess was coming this morning. Do you know the reason for her visit?” Hinata inquired.

“Well, her mother wants Her Highness to take her position and since His Majesty has already been crowned King, I believe she’s come here for advice and support.” Koizumi’s statement cleared a lot up for Hinata; he quietly thanked her before switching to his next question.

“You keep calling Sonia by her title; don’t you just call her by her name?” Koizumi scoffed.

“Of course I do, it’s just rude to address royalty by their names when you’re not talking to them personally. You should do that too; people might get ideas if you don’t.” He didn’t want to find out what ‘ideas’ meant so he just kept a mental reminder of her advice.

There was another long silence, the pair standing near the door as they awkwardly shuffled around. What felt like hours later, the doors finally swung open. Both Komaeda and Sonia had walked out but both had quite contrasting expressions.

Sonia looked pleased, looking around her surroundings as she whispered something to the King. However, Komaeda looked like he was at war with himelf. He was constantly biting his lip and played with the edge of his jacket.

The two exchanged a few quick words before they both walked separate ways. Koizumi had followed Sonia and Hinata had followed Komaeda. He didn’t say a word the whole time they walked. Hinata kept analysing Komaeda’s body language as the King mumbled to himself.

It wasn’t until they entered his personal library that Hinata decided to speak up.

“Did something happen?” Komaeda flinched turning to face Hinata with wide eyes.

“No, why do you ask?”

“Something’s obviously worrying you.” Komaeda kept biting his lip avoiding any eye contact. He seemed to be in deep thought as he sat down on the window seat.

“Well, Sonia made a…proposition I should say, I’m just thinking about it really…” Hinata sat down next to Komaeda, giving him a soft, comforting smile. That was when Komaeda finally looked back at him. He took a deep breath and continued.

“She suggested to hold a gala. It’s something she commonly does in her country and she wanted to host one here. Thing is…I’ve never actually hosted a royal gala before. I’m just not sure if I should take her offer, she’s very insistent.” Komaeda shyly looked away, a little embarrassed by his minor problem.

“Even if you’ve never hosted one before, Sonia has. She’ll help you.”

“I’m aware but…I’m not very good at public gatherings…what if I ruin something?”

“…..Is this about your luck?” A silence cascaded the two. Komaeda’s fidgeting got more frantic as he let out a soft, breathy laugh.

“Everything’s about my luck, I have to take it into account no matter what.” His voice sounded so broken but his face didn’t show it. His ever-present smile still there.

“I think you should go for it. Even if you doubt yourself, you have Sonia to lean on for advice and…I’m always here. I’d be happy to help you whenever possible. Decide what you want to do, not what your luck forces you to do.” Komaeda had stared at Hinata the entire time, his smile and eyes much softer than it usually was. It seemed his words had an effect on Komaeda.

“…do you think the people will enjoy it?” Komaeda queried hesitantly. Hinata proudly shook his head.

“Definitely. But you make the calls, not the people.” Komaeda looked away, contemplating his words. His face looked slightly more determined.

“I’ll consider it some more.” He let Komaeda leave it as that, satisfied that he likely left an impact on the King. His eyes ventured towards a nearby clock.

“Ah! My break’s started; I’ll see you later then.” Hinata stood up and strolled towards the front door.

“Thank you, Hinata.” He looked back to see content smile on the King’s face. Hinata smiled back, giving a short wave before walking out the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this took a while! thank you for 500+ hits, it means a lot to me! I don’t have much to say but if you want to talk about anything, danganronpa related or not, you can hit me up on discord. It’s bogus#7327, I’d love to talk to ya’ll!
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!


	7. Chatper 7 - Town

The morning sun had arisen and both Komaeda and Sonia were dining in the gazebo. They seemed to have taken a liking to having breakfast together outside and today was no different. 

The gazebo was pure white. Flowers and plants grew up and intertwined with the wood, framing it with bunches of flowers ranging from pink to yellow. The paint job of the actual wood was chipping off but it gave a rustic feel that made it seem more comfortable.

Hinata was serving them this time, pouring tea and setting up plates of dishes. He had to roll a large tray through a rocky path which had caused a lot of the plates to lose their decorative placements. But neither royalty seemed to mind.

It had been fairly quiet. Only the sounds of plants and trees rustling along with cutlery hitting the plates. Hinata had grabbed a slice of meat off the table when Sonia spoke up. 

“I know it’s quite early to be talking about this again, but I need a clear answer.” It was quite evident what Sonia was eluding too and Komaeda seemed to recoil. Sonia gave him a look of sympathy but pushed on.

“Komaeda, I truly believe this will work in our favour. I know balls and galas aren’t your favourite but just this once!” Sonia’s word hadn’t cracked Komaeda’s shell at all. He still looked pretty drawn back on the idea. 

“And exactly why would this be helpful?” Komaeda inquired.

“Your people will surely enjoy it. And it could be helpful in forming more alliances.”

“I doubt they would enjoy something as boring as a gala-“

“They will.” Hinata finally spoke up, still chewing on his slice of meat. The two bickering authorities looked quite surprised at Hinata’s input, but welcomed it. 

“See! Even Hinata thinks the gala is a good idea!” Sonia gleamed and gestured to Hinata as she spoke. His input clearly strengthened her spirits and it made Hinata feel a little warmer.

“Well, I think this is peer pressure...” Komaeda grumbled, shoving a piece of bread into his mouth. 

”I mean it is two against one.” Hinata teased, leaning his hip against the table.

”And what does that have to do with anything?” Komaeda’s eyebrows furrowed, glaring at him.

”Maybe you should actually think of the benefits, that's all.” Komaeda dropped his arms and sighed. His attention diverted back to Sonia.

”What motives do you have for hosting a gala?” Komaeda interrogated.

”Firstly, you know I thoroughly enjoy hosting gala’s and I think, after such a long time, you should finally host one.” Sonia shone her signature smile.

Komaeda seemed to be considering Sonia’s words as footsteps approached the trio. They all turned in the direction of the footsteps and saw a yawning Koizumi, strolling up to them.

”Good morning.” Koizumi softly spoke, her voice still laced with sleep.

”What took you so long?” She glared at Hinata for asking until she sighed, too sleepy to keep up her act.

”I took my time getting ready, and...I was looking around for all of you.” Koizumi awkwardly rubbed her neck before taking a loaf of bread from the table and making herself a sandwich.

“Mahiru, what do you think about hosting a gala here in Jabberwock?” Sonia questioned Koizumi as she ate. 

“...I have no clue why you’re asking me...but...I AM quite a fan of gala’s...the scenery is always gorgeous.” Koizumi spoke in between bites but eventually got her point across.

“You could paint the gala, it would be nice to hang up in the gallery.” As if Hinata had any control over palace decisions but Koizumi seemed to have perked up at his suggestion.

“Oh that would be wonderful! I haven’t painted something on that level in a while!” Koizumi’s eyes gleamed as she sighed with pleasure.

Sonia and Hinata directed their attention back to Komaeda to see him resting his head in his hand, playing with a small chunk of food on his plate.

“...sure.” He faintly spoke.

“Pardon?”

“Let’s do it, the gala.” Sonia bursted with joy. She would have jumped out of her seat if a table wasn’t blocking her way.

“Do you mean it?”

“Yeah, everyone seems to enjoy the idea. I would do anything to spread hope to my people.” Sonia clapped her hands and hurried out her seat.

“I suggest we get onto invitations then?” Sonia twirled back to face Komaeda.

“Already?”

“Of course! You can never start too early.” Sonia had grabbed onto Koizumi’s arm and they started walking back to the castle. The two boys watched as the girls hurried off.

“We should catch up.” Hinata spoke as Komaeda rose. He quickly finished the last few sips of his tea before they slowly followed behind Sonia.

“You don’t seem too happy about this, are you sure you want to do it?” Hinata gently confided in Komaeda. His fidgeting suggested a significant lack of confidence.

“Of course, I’ll do anything for hope.” Hinata signed. If that was gonna be his reasoning, so be it. 

The girls in front of them chattered away, nodding and giggling at times. They hadn’t stopped talking until they ended up at one of the many libraries in the castle. Sonia and Koizumi were already at the door.

“Hinata, I had some cargo work to do today, could you take it for me?” Sonia’s hand was on the handle when Koizumi looked back at him.

“Why can’t you do it?”

“Well, Sonia wants me to help her with the invitations. It would be rude to disobey a princesses orders.” Hinata sighed and agreed to the shift; he was about to walk off when he was stopped again.

“Before you go, is there anyone in particular you would like to be invited?” It was Komaeda that had stopped him this time. He had gently grabbed Hinata’s arm to stop him from walking away.

“...I’m sorry?”

“Well, since we’re about to do invitations right now. I thought that there might be someone you would like to come. A loved one, friend,...” Komaeda had trailed off near the end, his voice weakening, but Hinata got the message.

“Perhaps, Chiaki Nanami?”

“Your sister, correct?” Hinata nodded, “I’ll add her to the list.” 

“Thank you Komaeda.” He fully let go of his arm and Hinata was free to walk off. He heard the library door open and close behind him as he descended back outside again.

—

Hinata’s entire body was aching by the time dinner had begun. After taking Koizumi’s shift with the cargo, his body was already tired. But then Twogami saw him and decided to dump a whole list of jobs onto him. 

He luckily finished by dinner, and sighed with relief. He was on his way to bring Komaeda his dinner. Apparently he had asked for it to be delivered personally instead of having it in the dining hall as usual.

So Hinata balanced a ridiculously large tray in his hands and made his way to the library he assumed Komaeda was in. 

Once he arrived at the library, he gently knocked on the door before walking in. Luckily, Komaeda was there, papers scattered all around him with books piled on the side. Koizumi and Sonia were nowhere to be seen. 

“How was it?” Hinata spoke as he made his way to Komaeda’s table. He surprisingly noticed that Komaeda’s hair looked more ruffled and untamed than it normally was. 

“Pretty close to hell,” Komaeda deeply sighed. Hinata had begun to lay his food in front of him and pour his tea into his cup.

“Have you gotten somewhere at least?”

“Yes, but just a list of names. It’s quite the embarrassment to be fair.” Once Hinata finished he sat down opposite Komaeda, taking a look at the sheets around him.

“You look like you could use a break,” Komaeda quietly chuckled, too tired to put any enthusiasm into his voice.

“That would be great but I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Since agreeing to the gala, Twogami has been following me everywhere with plans, supplies, guest lists and everything else. Sonia has been helpful but a lot of the work is getting thrown towards me.” Komaeda nimbly ate his food, taking small bites at a time.

“Even so, overworking yourself won’t do you any good. Why don’t you just relax in the garden, even if it’s for ten minutes.”

“Twogami knows I run off to the garden, it’s too risky.” Hinata rested his hand on his chin as he thought about ways to give Komaeda a short break.

“Let’s go out to town.” Komaeda looked at him with a dumbfounded look.

“Town?”

“Yeah, let’s just...sneak out?” Hinata was mostly joking with this. Sneaking out was a stupid idea but Komaeda had stopped eating all together, sitting wide eyed towards Hinata.

“Komaeda, I was joking we’re obviously not going to-“

“Why not? What’s wrong with sneaking out?” It was then Hinata’s turn for his jaw to drop.

“No, seriously-“

“It’s not too outlandish.” Komaeda seemed...insistent.

Now it was Hinata’s turn to properly analyze it. He had said it as a joke but Komaeda seemed to highly agree with the idea. It was a stupid idea but very possible. They could just scale down one of their windows and make it outside.

“So, let’s say we figure out a plan to sneak out. Would you finally take a break?” Komaeda nodded, a smile resting on his face.

“I’ve never gone out to town on my own accord. I would love to do this.” Hinata took that statement into account as he continued to form his plan in his head.

“Well, I’ll need to ask for some help but, when would you like to go out?”

“Tonight?” Komaeda sheepishly asked.

“Tonight?!”

“Why not? You still have a small chunk of daylight left.” Komaeda again wasn’t wrong. Hinata sighed, finding no will inside of him to fight back.

“If I can get everything planned out, we can go tonight.” A bright smile grew on Komaeda’s face.

“Thank you so much. Your hope is truly amazing.” Hinata blushed softly at Komaeda’s compliment. It would have seemed weird to an outsider but Hinata felt like he was understanding Komaeda’s weird ideology a little each day.

He pushed his chair back as he looked out of a nearby window. The sun was beginning to set, Hinata had to act quickly.

“I’ll figure everything out. Have fun!” Hinata walked to the exit, leaving Komaeda with his food. He heard a muffled goodbye before he swung the door open and shut it behind him, leaving the king behind. 

He needed to find Soda.

Hinata rushed down the hallway, turning at each corner at an impressive speed. He quickly made his way outside the castle. He looked around the place grounds until he spotted a shed near the back of the castle, stocked with carriages of all shapes and sizes.

Upon entering, all he could hear was the banging of metal and sparks flaring everywhere. The workers trying to yell over the noise didn’t help at all. However, Hinata tried to ignore it to the best of his ability as he scavenged for his friend.

While looking around, he had managed to trip over a pair of legs that he didn’t notice. Someone was lying on the floor underneath one of the carriages.

“Hey, you know you got to-,” The man pushed himself out from under the carriage and he recognised that the owner of said pair of legs was none other than Soda himself.

“Hinata?! What brings you here?”

“Why were you under a carriage?”

“Don’t worry about that, let’s sit down somewhere alright?” Soda stood up and threw an arm over Hinata’s shoulder as he dragged him outside the workshop.

They strolled outside as Soda led him to a pile of leather near the back of the building. The two boys took a seat on the rugged leather, trying their best to get comfortable.

“You didn’t answer my question, what are you doing here?”

“Well, I have a proposition.”

“Huh?”

“To put it simply, I need your help.” Soda's eyes grew with concern.

“Is something wrong? Did someone black mail you?!-”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just that...His Majesty has been overworking himself a lot recently. I wanted to help him relax and we decided...to sneak out into town.” Hinata softened his voice, as if the rest of the workers that were hammering away at metal could hear them.

“Oh? how scandalous...you and the king, all by yourselves—“

“Don’t even finish that.” Hinata stabbed a finger into Soda’s chest. Soda immediately raised his hands in defence.

“Fine, but what do you need me for?”

“We need some way to get outside of the palace without detection. So I thought that-“ Hinata looked around before leaning into Soda’s ear and whispering his plan.

Again, he doubted anyone could hear but he was better safe than sorry. If someone tried to intercept with his plan, he’d have no money for the winter. Once he finished explaining his plan, Soda was shocked but shinned a toothy grin.

“So you’re getting reckless now huh? Didn’t expect that from goody-two shoes Hinata!” Soda smacked Hinata’s back, leaving an awful sting behind.

“Goody...two shoes? Since when was I a goody-two shoes?” 

“Since the moment I met you. Anyways, I’ll help you, but for a price of course!” Soda has a devilish look in his eyes.

“Can’t I get a...friend discount?”

“Nope! Full price.” Soda crossed his arms proudly. Hinata sighed, knowing he was going to regret his next words.

“Do you want me to get you something Her Highness owns?” Hinata mumbled, disgusted by his own words.

“Really?! Oh then we have a deal!” The two shook hands on it. 

“Can we do it tonight?”

“Umm...that should be possible. You want it around 10?” Hinata nodded, “Fine by me.”

Soda stood up, stretching out his limbs with a pop. Hinata followed slowly after. 

“Thanks for the business deal, see ya!” Soda lazily waved as he strolled back into the shed, hands holding the back of his head.

The sun was already setting, the moon making its statement in the darkening sky. If they were going to do this today, they’d need to prepare as quickly as possible.

With a sigh of relief, Hinata made his way back to the front entrance of the palace. He was eternally thankful that his plan was all slotting together.

He weaved past heaps of employees. All of them were chatting away happily as they made their way home for the night. But Hinata kept walking forward. Down the hallway, up some stairs, down a few more hallways, up a lot more stairs, until he was greeted with Komaeda’s room.

He nodded to Fuyuhiko and the other guard at the door before walking in. Komaeda was sitting at his desk, a small sliver of light coming from the dark sky and a candle on his desk. 

He looked up when Hinata entered his room. His face lit up as he turned his legs to face Hinata.

“And?”

“We can go tonight.” Komaeda’s smile grew as he clapped his hands together. He stood up and sped over to Hinata.

“How should we prepare then?” Hinata hadn’t actually properly thought of that. He knew that preparation was definitely needed, but what to actually prepare. He skimmed over Komaeda’s attire. For a starter, he definitely needed to wear something a lot more subtle.

“I’ll be back.” Hinata strolled over to the bookshelf door and pulled it open. The door was slowly closing behind him as he paced down the dark hallway.

He shortly reached his room and swung open his wardrobe. He didn’t have a lot of clothes to work with but he took a small collection.

Hinata stripped of his work clothing and slipped into a dark cotton short with some slacks. He put his shoes back on and went back into the dark hallway with clothes in hand. 

He pushed open the bookshelf door to see Komaeda patiently sitting on his bed. He was clearly surprised by Hinata’s stack of clothes as he stormed over. 

“Put this on.” Hinata gave Komaeda a pile of basic clothing Hinata owned. Komaeda reluctantly took it and walked into his bathroom. Hinata used the opportunity to get a beaten up satchel he owned to take some necessities. Once he finished packing, Komaeda also finished changing. 

The clothes were slightly too big on his small frame but it worked. He looked a little uncomfortable and red in it but Hinata brushed it off.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, sit at the vanity.” Komaeda followed his instruction and calmly sat on his seat, drumming his fingers against his desk.

Hinata walked over and began brushing his hair. It was quite annoying that he had to do this again but his hair is far too recognisable. He brushed it backwards, combing it into a soft mess. He then got an elastic to tie back his hair as far and as tightly as possible. Hinata giggled quietly at Komaeda’s face of pure annoyance.

“You can still back out you know.”

“No, I wanted this.” Hinata then handed him the last thing he needed. A dark blue cloak. Komaeda swung it over his shoulders and clipped it at the front. Pulling the hood up, he looked at himself in the mirror. 

A few white baby hairs had escaped the restraints of the elastic but it was mostly hidden by the dark hood. It wasn’t that Komaeda was completely unrecognisable, you could still tell it was him. But the shadows from his hood and his signature platinum hair tied back helped cover his identity. Hinata clipped on his own cloak and took his satchel.

“Let’s get going then.” Komaeda nodded and went to blow out his candle. The room was coated in a heavy darkness as they both went through the secret passage. 

“So, how are we going to get out?” 

“You’ll see.” Hinata left it at that as they reached Hinata’s room. They walked out of his bathroom and walked over to his desk. 

There was a window above his desk that faced the woods that were at the side of the palace. Hinata reached up to the glass and started pushing it outwards. He pressed harder and harder until it popped open. A cold rush of wind hit them as Hinata peered out the window, looking down.

There was a small patch of flowers near the bottom and a path leading to who knows. Komaeda had joined him in peering out the window.

“I hope you’re not suggesting that we just jump out.”

“Obviously not!” Hinata defended himself. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a grappling hook. He attached the hook to the edge of the window, digging into the stone to make sure it was sturdy. He threw the rope down the window till it hit the flowers down below.

“The basic gist of it is that you grab onto the rope and make small hops down the wall, I'll go first so you can see.” He passed Komaeda a pair of gloves and put some on his own hands. 

Once the gloves were comfortably on. Hinata pushed himself up onto the desk and sat on the edge of the window. He twirled a bunch of rope around his hand and faced his back out the window. He pressed one foot against the edge of the window, preparing himself. He made sure the foot was secure before placing his next foot against the wall. He breathed in deeply before quickly stamping his other foot against the wall. 

His breathing accelerated as his back was now parallel to the grass below him. He bent his knees before slightly jumping off, weakening his grip on the rope to lower himself before his feet hit the wall again. He kept taking those small jumps down. His breathing returned to its normal pace as he got lower and lower, his attention focused on the wall his feet were landing on.

Once he felt he was low enough, he reached higher up the rope and lowered his feet to the ground, welcoming the steady surface. He pulled off his sweaty gloves as he looked up to see Komaeda wide eyed, staring at him. 

He then watched as Komaeda fumbled with the rope. Clearly trying to recite his actions like a prayer. Hinata did feel slightly guilty for just going ahead without him but he thought an example would be more helpful the screaming instructions at the king. However, he seemed to be doing well. He had gotten everything right so far and when he watched Komaeda push himself onto the wall, he looked like he understood it completely.

He did the same baby jumps all the way down until Hinata touched his back, letting him know he had reached the bottom. Komaeda immediately let go of the rope the moment Hinata had touched him, wincing at the fall.

“Why did you let go?” Hinata said as he pulled him up.

“You scared me!” Komaeda spoke in a tone that would make you believe he was angry but the smile on his face was so very genuine and uplifting. You could see the adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

Hinata reached for the rope and tugged on it until the hook fell down and hit the flowers under them. He picked up the hook, bundled it up and slipped it back into the satchel.

“The guards are switching for the night, we should get going.” Komaeda was peering past the wall, clinging onto the edge. 

“Have the carriages started coming?”

“Yes a few have arrived.” Hinata then rushed over to join Komaeda. He squinted at the carriages, trying to recognise a certain scruffy friend.

“Let’s get closer.” Hinata grabbed Komaeda’s hand, which was now bare, and dragged him over to some bushes. They kept moving from bush to bush until they were much closer to the ongoing carriages. Hinata inspected each one, trying to recognise any of the drivers.

And that’s when he saw him. Soda with a cloak on, driving a black carriage towards the castle. He watched as Soda slowed down his carriage, the horses trotting slowly. Once the carriage door faced their side, Hinata grabbed Komaeda again and rapidly ran over to the door and got in as quickly as possible.

“What the- Why are we- Huh?!” Komaeda asked the moment the pair had sat down in the carriage. He looked around, completely bewildered.

“We’re sneaking out, you know, what we have been planning to do.” Hinata settled in his seat, resting his eyes.

“By carriage?”

“It was the only way I could think of getting outside the gates without the guards spotting us.” 

“...does the driver know we’re in here?”

“Yes, he’s my friend so he’ll bring us back as well.”

“Oh.” Komaeda seemed to visibly relax after that, settling in his seat. Nonetheless, his leg was bouncing like crazy. Hinata couldn’t tell if it was from fear or from excitement.

The pair stayed in silence as the carriage wheeled into town. The streets were emptier but not completely barren. You could see people walking home from work or going out with their friends. Only the lanterns that lined the street and the light from the shops nearby illuminated the street.

But before they knew it, the carriage had stopped moving and Hinata immediately stepped out. Komaeda followed shortly after, looking around his new surroundings. Hinata gave Soda a short nod before he went off with the carriage, leaving the two boys by themselves.

“So..you have anything in particular you’d like to do?” Hinata queried.

“Not really, I’d like to just walk around for now.” So they started walking down the street in front of them. It was a narrow street but was filled with shops on both sides. Many shops were still open even at that dark hour.

The boys strolled together at a slow and even pace. They had no rush to be anywhere or do anything. 

Luckily, people calmly passed by completely unaware of Komaeda’s identity. He heard Komaeda letting out a short laugh the first time someone walked by. He was clearly enjoying the wipe of identification, able to calmly walk by without a whole fiasco. Even though his hair was falling out if it’s confinement over time, it was still enough to hide most of it.

Hinata was walking much slower than usual. He honestly wanted Komaeda to have his breather and just take a look around. Even if it meant standing by a shop window for an embarrassingly long time as Komaeda admired the craftsmanship.

But as they walked past a certain building, it seemed that Komaeda took a deep interest on what was happening inside.

“Hinata, let’s go in there.” He pointed at the building they just passed. Looking at the sign swaying near the door, it seemed to be a bar.

“Uhh... are you sure?” Hinata wasn’t a big fan of bars. There were some nice ones but most would get rowdy a lot of the time.

However, Komaeda nodded his head, looking insistent on going inside. So the two boys walked in and they were immediately hit with an entirely new atmosphere.

Instead of the cold, dark and empty street, this place was packing with life. People crowded around tables with drinks and food as bands played away. The talking was constant and silence never graced the room. It was an overwhelming feeling but not one where you felt like you had to get away.

“Are you sure you want to be here? It can be...a lot at times” Hinata wanted to be sure that Komaeda would feel comfortable with this but he agreed completely.

So they got a table near the corner for themselves and some drinks. Komaeda had his attention purely on the people around them.

“It’s so lively in here...” Komaeda mumbled.

“Well, it is a bar. It can get pretty busy in the palace too.”

“I don’t mean busy as in a lot of people. I mean it as...the castle never really feels this...energetic? I can't really explain it.” Hinata tilted his head as he tried to wrap around what he had just said.

“Huh?” Komaeda looked at Hinata with the look he normally had when talking about his beloved hope.

“You’d never find anything like this in the castle. Even during balls it’s purely for business and for gain. This is just people gathering together to have a good time...it must feel so nice. Going out for drinks and just...letting loose for once.” Komaeda slumped in his chairs, a certain kind of yearning flowing over him.

“Are you feeling alright? Do you want to-“ Hinata was going to ask to leave but the band had started a new song and this time, people were getting up to dance.

Drunken men got up and jostled around the room. Dancing in an awful and embarrassing manor but they smiled and laughed as they danced around.

“See..” Komaeda made a small comment, mesmerised by the people.

“Would you like to join them?” Their drinks had arrived but they paid no attention to them.

“No, I’d ruin the scene.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t, you dance at balls don’t you?”

“I think we can both agree that this is extremely different from a ball.” The two finally picked up their drinks, slowly sipping away at their separate beverages.

“You could show off your fancy kingly moves.” Hinata smirked.

“I have to save it for the actual ball, don’t I?” The two then sunk into silence, watching as the people in the bar danced and cheered. 

The joy and energy was truly infectious. They both found themselves tapping along to the music and Hinata was honestly tempted to join them but he would feel guilty leaving Komaeda all by himself. So the two happily watched, making small jokes and side comments about the dancing. 

By the time the song ended, the two had almost finished their drinks.

“Regret not joining in?” Hinata teased.

“I’m still insistent that I would have ruined everything, do you regret it?” Hinata grumbled, saying a short no before downing the rest of his drink.

“Do you want to stay a little longer?” Hinata asked as Komaeda checked his now empty cup.

“Let’s walk some more.” Hinata nodded and paid for their drinks before leaving the bar. 

Once they left the bar, they were greeted with a blissful sight. Snow. The ground was already covered in a few inches of snow as more continued to fall. As the two briefly watched the snow fall, an idea came into Hinata’s head.

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to do. Do you wanna go?” Komaeda looked suspicious however intrigued.

“Aren’t you gonna tell me first?”

“Nope.” Hinata started walking, not bothering to wait for Komaeda’s response. So the king followed along, sighing as they walked through the harsh winter.

Komaeda now had his attention less on the street and more on the footsteps he was leaving in the piling snow. He looked mesmerised as the marks of their journey laid its statement in the snow. Hinata even started to look at his own footsteps, he had forgotten how fun snow was.

But they arrive fairly quickly at their new location. This time they had entered a park. It was really just a big plot of empty land but Hinata got excited at the sight of untouched snow.

So the pair starred storming through the snow, laughing from the struggle of getting through the density. But once they reached around the middle of the park, he finally spoke up about his plan.

“Have you...ever had a snowball fight before?” Komaeda was clearly dazed from what Hinata had asked.

“A snowball fight? I’m not that physically strong Hinata, I can barely walk through this snow-“ Komaeda said as he steadied himself on the white ground.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds I promise. It’s basically this game where we make balls of snow and throw them at each other.” Hinata explained.

“Wouldn’t being hit by a ball of snow hurt?”

“Well the whole point is that you need to avoid it.” That’s when Hinata bent down and started to gather snow up in his bare hands. It slightly stung from the sheer coldness but he persisted. Once he thought he had a decent sized ball in his hand, he chucked it towards Komaeda.

Komaeda, being far too distracted to notice the hurling object, took the hint and winced in pain.

“Ouch!” Komaeda yelped, grabbing onto his arm where the ball had hit, snow clinging onto his cloak.

“Come on, try to hit me.” Komaeda still looked bewildered and slight hurt but bent down as he scooped up snow in his hands. Hinata watched as Komaeda made a ball and hurled it at him.

He obviously brought his hands up to cover his face as a reflex as the ball hit his thigh. Hinata grinned from the rush of cold.

“That’s basically it, let’s play.” The two put on the gloves they wore to get down the grappling rope to try and combat the freezing cold.

And so the pair started to play. Hinata stationed himself on one side and Komaeda at the other. They had made balls after balls, laughing as they chuck them towards each other. Komaeda’s hood had fallen off sometime during the game but neither cared. It was just them out in the field, trying to run away from each other as the heaps of falling snow blocked their paths.

After a long time, the two were in barely any pain, their delight drowning out any of it. However, Hinata grew tired and flopped onto the snow, letting it cushion his fall. He heard Komaeda run over as he leaned over his body.

You could barely see the snow that had fallen onto his hair, it blended in entirely. It was at that moment that Hinata finally noticed Komaeda’s hood had fallen completely off his head and his hair had mostly fallen out of his ponytail. And now he stood, leaning over Hinata with ivory hair framing his face as snow freckled over his cheeks. Hinata would be lying if he didn’t think the king looked remarkably attractive.

“Does this mean I win?” Komaeda happily stated. 

“What? When did you win?!”

“Just now, you technically admitted defeat by lying down.” Hinata grumbled, he was too sore to argue. 

“Who cares, join me.” Komaeda hummed in confusion.

“In the snow?”

“Obviously, just lie down.” Komaeda then joined him. Lying on the ground in a much more graceful method than just letting the snow take your fall.

And the pair watched the dark sky as snow fell onto their face.

“I don’t think I’ve nearly thanked you enough, Hinata.”

“There’s really no need to. I enjoyed this too.”

“Even so...I got to have a small taste of freedom tonight. No work holding me down, just a good...snowball fight.” Hinata chuckled.

“Yeah, it was nice.”

“Hey...have I ever told you how beautiful your hope is Hinata-“ 

“Let’s not talk about hope right now, unless it’s about your dog Hope. Let’s just let it go for once.”

“...let it go...” Komaeda mumbled, clearly taking it in.

And so they laid in silence. Basking in the absence of people but the warmth of each other’s presence.

“...we should get going, Soda might be here soon.” Komaeda hummed quietly as the boys pushed themselves up. 

They left the park and walked back in silence. They were both reeling of exhaustion but the pure childlike bliss was still heavy on their hearts.

They were waking at an embarrassingly slow pace until the sound of horses broke the silence. The two boys grew wide eyed as they started to run, hoping to reach the carriage as quickly as possible.

It was already suspicious that they had to take a carriage back to the palace. The less time they need the carriage, the better it is. So the two ran till they saw the pitch black carriage and jumped in. Quickly setting off back to the castle.

The boys sighed, running after hitting each other with snow was not fun but the carriage was so warm they could almost forget about the ache in their muscles.

They tried to wipe off as much snow as possible before they reached the palace grounds. They had taken off a good amount till they entered pulled into the palace once again. 

The two boys jumped out, Hinata quickly thanking Soda before running back to the window they had escaped from.

They were out of breath from all the running they had to do but eventually Hinata got out the grappling hook and threw it up to the still open window. It took an inconvenient amount of try’s before the hook was sturdy enough to hold the weight of both of them. 

They then slowly climbed up the rope and once they got into the window and scrambled over the desk, they sighed in relief. Once they caught their breath, Hinata went to unhook the rope and pulled it all the way back up, closing the window once every piece of rope was bunched up in his arms.

“Let’s get some rest.” Even though Hinata said it out-loud, he was mainly consulting himself. He heard Komaeda say a short goodnight before he whisked away into Hinata’s bathroom, clearly heading back to his room. 

Once he heard the secret door open and close, Hinata stripped of his clothes as quickly as possible before collapsing onto his bed. He didn’t bother to change into his night clothing, his sore muscles aching for some rest. His eyes grew heavy so quickly, it wasn’t long until he whisked away from his conciseness. 

—

_ He was sitting on the floor with wooden toys in hand. He wasn’t really playing with them, just checking how they’re limbs bent. _

_ There was a fireplace next to him, keeping his small body warm. He was pretty sure he was alone, perhaps in his bedroom. All he was focused on was the toys in his hand.  _

_ He noticed that the rug underneath him had an intricate pattern woven into it, it flourished with colours of all shades and tones. He put a slip of black hair behind his ear as he inspected his toys before his door opened. _

_ The giant oak doors swung open, revealing...someone...cladded in heavy armour. They looked to be out of breath, he couldn’t really tell. He couldn’t properly see their face, it looked hazy to him. _

_ “We must hurry, quickly.” They had ran over, grabbing onto his arm before pulling him off the ground. He yelped out in pain before being hushed by the other person.  _

_ He was then picked up, the cold of the armour seeping into his warmed skin. _

_ “You must stay quiet the entire time, ỷ̸̠͖̘͈͕̦̲o̵͇̅ṵ̸̗͓̪̃̌̊͂ṛ̵̠̤̎̾̈́̿ ̷̜̲̝̳͙͛̀h̶̝̱̟̹̜̤̔̍̍́̒i̶̛͔̣̝̯̎͐̀̽g̵͈̝͚͜͝h̵͈̙̞̯͛̚n̴̢̗͇̉͑̉͝ė̵̡̤̖ͅs̷̝͖͍̞̈́̍͒̉̇̚͘s̵̳̝͚̱̞͇̼̓” They said. _

_ He nodded, feeling like he had no choice but to comply. He was carried away as the person holding him ran out of his supposed room before running down the hallway. The last thing he heard was a high-pitched scream before falling asleep against the cold armour. _

—

The next morning, Komaeda and Sonia decided to have breakfast together once again. Since the outside was still covered in thick layers of snow, they decided to have breakfast in the dining hall.

Komaeda clearly had tired written all over his face but he also looked quite rejuvenated. A soft yet truthful smile constantly present on his face. 

“Do you think we could finalise the invite list today?” Sonia started the conversation. 

“That would be for the best, are there any changes you would like to be made?” The moment Komaeda had said that, a guilty look washed over Sonia’s face.

“I- there is. But I don’t think you’ll like it.” Koizumi consoled Sonia before she started to talk again.

“I would like to invite Junko to our gala.” Komaeda’s eyes grew wide, he dropped his fork the moment she finished speaking.

“No-“

“Komaeda, let me state my reasoning,” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I know you’re not on good terms with her but It would be worse if she found out you were holding a gala and she wasn’t invited. For the sake of preventing any further conflict, let’s invite her.”

Hinata had no clue that Komaeda was having problems with another country. Hell, he didn’t even know who ‘Junko’ was. But by the way Komaeda sighed and shook his head, she didn’t seem to be the best of people.

“I’m sorry but, who is Junko?” Hinata asked.

“She’s the Queen of Hope’s Peak. She’s quite a powerful leader but her ways of ruling are...questionable. I don’t think many people like her but she has such a powerful army it would be a mistake to get into a war with her.” Mahiru explained. Even she looked exasperated just talking about Junko. 

“Sonia, do you truly think inviting Junko is for the best?” Komaeda awkwardly asked.

“I do. It’s not at all the most desired decision but one that needs to happen.” Komaeda stopped eating his food to properly think over it. His face was scrunched up with annoyance.

“Fine, we’ll invite her. Simply to prevent more controversy.” He sighed, rubbing his temple. Sonia looked relieved at his answer. 

They directed the conversation away from the gala. Needing a small breather after mentioning the other queen and to calm Komaeda down. Hinata knew that he was completely clueless to the whole story of him and Junko but pushed it aside for now.

Everyone calmly ate their breakfast until they all had to split in separate paths. Hinata was asked by Twogami to help sweep the snow outside. So he bowed to everyone at the table before making his way outside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i apologise for not updating for so long, school has been absolutely ruthless. I hope this ridiculously long chapter makes up for it. But thank you so much for 1000 hits. I appreciate every single person who checked out this fic <3!! thank you for all the comments and kudos's as well, they make my day!


	8. The Gala

Tonight was the gala and the palace seemed even more packed. Workers rushed around the ballroom, cleaning the entire place and hanging up the plethora of winter-themed decorations. Every employee was working together to help prepare for the gala. Hinata watched everyone frantically run around as he tied flowers to one of the many pillars.

“How is it looking?” Makoto called out from the bottom of Hinata’s ladder.

“Looking good, could you hand me some more flowers though?” He climbed back down and retrieved the flowers from Makoto.

“You never really realise how many people work here until everyone is crowded around one place,” Makoto commented and Hinata agreed. Since Hinata was practically glued to the hip with Komaeda, he’s forgotten just how many people are actually in the castle.

“The more, the merrier…” Hinata climbed back up the ladder and hung up the last few flowers.

“U-um…” Hinata looked down to see a girl standing next to his ladder.

“Do you need anything?” Makoto asked as politely as ever.

“Um..which of you is Hajime Hinata?” He climbed down the ladder at the mention of his name, making eye contact with the girl.

“That would be me.”   


“ Ah, His Majesty asks for you.” Hinata nodded and thanked her. He put the ladder to the side and thanked Makoto for his help.

Hinata left the girl and Makoto behind as he walked out of the ballroom and ventured his way through the palace. He calmly makes his way to Komaeda’s bedroom and knocks on his door. He heard a quiet voice through the door and walked in.

Upon entering, he saw Komaeda surrounded by pounds of clothes. Some were thrown on his floor and left in a state of distress while others were folded neatly or were laid on his couch. He sighed in relief once he noticed Hinata’s entrance.

“Thank God you’re here..” Komaeda exclaimed. Hinata immediately went to pick up the strays clothing that was thrown, resting them on his arm as he went around the room.

“It looks like a storm hit your room, are you doing alright?” He spoke as he continued to collect Komaeda’s clothing.

“Yes, I finally picked out something.” Komaeda was finally changing out of his casual attire to his formal wear.

“We still have hours till we open the gate.”   
  
“Even so, earlier is better than later.” Hinata just shrugged it off, simply leaving him to get changed as he tidied away his clothes.

He helped Komaeda tie up parts of his clothing he couldn’t reach so well and clip some accessories onto his cape and suit. He was completely ready much faster than he had expected, the only thing left was his crown that he would save for later. With his room cleaned up and Komaeda fully dressed, he took his time checking his outfit in the mirror.

“Seem’s my work here is done…” Hinata commented upon seeing Komaeda fully dressed.

“Actually, could you check on Sonia for me? I wanna know if she’s finding everything okay.” Komaeda spoke as he played with a few stray hairs. Hinata nodded and walked away.

He only had to turn a few corners to turn before reaching Sonia’s room. He gently knocked the door and waited a few seconds till a small slit opened up the door. An eye peeked through the slit and widened.

“Hinata?” It was Koizumi, she opened the door much wider.

“Hey, Komaeda asked me if you were doing alright?” Koizumi looked as if she was about to deny anything before sighing.

“Actually...yeah. We lost some jewellery and could use a helping hand.” Koizumi opened the door for Hinata and he walked in. He blushed when he saw Sonia in just her corset and hoop skirt.

“Hinata!” He immediately turned around, being greeted with a furious Koizumi.

“You didn’t tell me she was changing!”

“Of course she’d be changing!...at least I trust you enough that you won’t be a creep about it...jeez.” Mahiru sighed, “We managed to drop a tin of pearls under the dresser, could you help pick them up?” She pointed at the dresser near Sonia’s mirror. Hinata nodded and made his way to go and pull the dresser away from the wall.

Hinata crouched onto the ground with a tin in hand as he picked up each pearl he could find. He stayed in silence as Mahiru continued to help Sonia change.

“Hinata, is Komaeda doing alright?” Sonia spoke up.

“He seems to be well, is something wrong?”

“Oh it’s nothing, I’m just a little worried about him. He hasn’t hosted a ball of this size before…” Sonia’s voice seemed to dip as she spoke.

“...I’m sure he’ll hold up fine..” Hinata reassured. 

When Hinata finally finished picking up each pearl, his legs were killing him and he groaned in pain once he stood up. He noticed that Sonia still had many more layers to slip on before her final gown.

“I finished.” He announced.

“Just put them on the dresser, thank you for your help!” He moved the dresser back against the wall and left the tin on it before bidding his goodbye. He left Sonia’s chamber and made his way back to Komaeda’s room.

Once he entered the King’s chamber, he noticed that Komaeda was lying on his couch, fully immersed in a book. However, Hinata's attention was drawn to the clothes that had appeared on Komaeda’s bed.

“Why did you pull out more clothes, you’re already changed-”

“They’re for you.” Hinata paused the moment his hand touched the shirt he was holding.

“For..me?” Komaeda put his book down on his stomach.

“Of course, it’s only fair that you get to wear something more formal at such an event.” Hinata diverted his attention to the material in his grip.

It was nowhere near as extravagant as Komaeda’s outfit but it was clearly made of good material and had the same golden embroidery that Komaeda had on his suit.

“Thank you…” Hinata spoke quietly as Komaeda picked back up his book. Hinata replaced his uniform with a new shirt, waistcoat and shoes. He smiled happily at the change of clothes. He heard Komaeda mumble something but they were too far apart for Hinata to notice let alone hear what he said.

“Let’s check on everyone.” Komaeda bookmarked his page before joining Hinata. He nodded and the two strolled out.

\--

The gate had finally opened. The gala was to begin. Hinata and Komaeda were hiding in a back room that was separated from the ballroom by a thick curtain. Tension was starting to stir between the pair. The influx of people was getting to his head.

Komaeda had elected to flick through a nearby journal that was unused and Hinata decided to try and take a look at the incoming invitee’s.

Hinata peered through a tiny slip in the plush curtain. He had a clear view of the attendees at the gala, all dressed in their finest attire. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel out of place in an environment thriving in wealth. He felt Komaeda place a comforting hand on his shoulder as he also peeped through the curtain, seeming to have ditched the journal.

“Have you spotted her yet?” Komaeda silently inquired. 

“Who?”

“Nanami, obviously. You asked her to come.”

“Ah, right.” While Hinata wasn’t necessarily looking for Chiaki, It would be vastly helpful to locate her as quickly as possible. However, given the number of people all crowded in the ballroom, it was nearly impossible to see her. He gave up on his search fairly quickly, hoping to find her when he joined everyone else.

That was the moment when Sonia and Koizumi joined the two of them. Hinata was in complete awe as Sonia stepped further into the room. She was encased in a gorgeous ball gown as flower’s and pearls embellished her skirt and hair. Speaking of her hair, it was tied up in a high curly bun with even more pearls in it. Koizumi herself was in a red dress with the same kind of pearls on her bodice.

“You look lovely, Sonia.” Komaeda calmly spoke.

“Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself.” Komaeda quietly thanked her as he bowed.

Sonia then hurried over to where the two boys were, her heels clicking as she walked. Hinata stepped back to give Sonia some room to peer into the ballroom herself. Koizumi joined them at Hinata’s side.

“How are you feeling?” Koizumi huffed as if she was embarrassed by her own question.

“Nervous, but okay. You?”

“I’m used to such event’s, I’m just asking since this is your first…” Koizumi played with a tuft of her hair.

“Well...thank you then,” Hinata said.

Twogami then burst into the room, downing a serious face. 

“You should start heading out soon, Your Majesty.” Komaeda nodded as Twogami bowed. He then walked through the curtain they were previously looking through and everyone held their breath.

The ballroom quieted down as Twogami cleared his throat. Every conversation in the ballroom was paused as Twogami started his announcement.

“May I introduce His Royal Majesty, King Nagito Komaeda of Jabberwock and Her Royal Highness, Princess Sonia Nevermind of Novaselic.” Twogami bowed before stepping to the side. 

Komaeda rested his hand on his hip, letting Sonia slip her hand through his arm. The two pushed the curtain to the side, the audience applauding the moment they made their appearance. They started to slowly walk down the stairs before Koizumi and Hinata joined them. 

They walked a good distance away and slipped into the crowd the moment they reached the bottom of the stairs. A large circle was formed in the middle of the ballroom as well as a pathway for the two royals to calmly make their way through. Once they made it to the middle of the circle, they bowed and curtsied to each other, everyone holding their breath in anticipation.

Then, the sweetest of music started to play as Komaeda and Sonia began to waltz and everyone was in awe. The couple danced around each other, Sonia’s dress twirling as it revealed the layers of fabric that were used to craft such a beautiful article. It was like they were born for this singular dance.

“Oh, I must paint this.” Koizumi hurriedly muttered before leaving Hinata. He couldn’t care less, he was completely captivated by the two rulers dancing.

Their movements were fluid, swaying across the floor like water. Everything was perfect, picture-perfect. Not a single eye was off the two dancers. Hinata felt lucky that a working-class citizen like him could experience something as fairytale-like this. He would have continued to stare for days if someone didn’t tap on his shoulder.

He spun around, preparing for a scolding but was instead greeted with a familiar face. Chiaki had managed to find Hinata and his face elicited with joy as he pulled her in for a hug. 

“It’s lovely to see you again, how are you doing?”

“I’m well...how have you been?” Chiaki lazily rubbed her eye.

“I’m fine, how’s Mom doing?”

“She’s fine, she misses you greatly. She was quite worried about sending me out to town so she’s probably quite panicked right now.” Hinata huffed in amusement. She was probably worried that Chiaki would fall asleep during the journey but at least she made it safely. 

It was then that the crowd burst in applause that Hinata realised the first dance had finished. He turned around to see the royals bowing. He felt a deep sense of disappointment that he had missed such an important event but was glad he was able to see it in the first place, at the front row nonetheless.

The two then linked arms again before walking back up the stairs. The circle was slowly disappearing as they gilded up the stairs and onto the two thrones that were seated at the top of the staircase. When the two royals sat down, the ballroom flourished with life once again. Music started to play again, conversations were on a rise and group dances were beginning to form.

Hinata was taken out of his thoughts by Chiaki grabbing his arm.

“It's too crowded here...may we head to the garden?” Hinata nodded before holding his hand over Chiaki’s

“You go ahead, I’ll join you shortly.” She nodded before walking off, blending in with the rest of the crowd.

Hinata made his way up the stairs as he walked towards Komaeda’s throne. He already had some sort of wine in his glass and was looking up expectantly at Hinata.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Hinata?” He nodded, walking to Komaeda’s side so he could lean on his throne.

“I am, how was the dance?” 

“Lovely, Sonia is an excellent dancer. Though I am quite dizzy from the spinning.” He took a sip of his wine as Hinata chuckled.

“It was quite a lovely dance, though I'm ashamed to say I did miss a good chunk of it.”

“That’s alright. It wasn’t quite an impressive one.” Komaeda spoke as he trained his eyes on the door that led to the entrance. Hinata mumbled a short ‘I beg to differ’ before noticing where almost all of Komaeda’s attention was directed to.

“Who are you looking for?” Hinata leaned down to whisper in Komaeda’s ear. The main reason he whispered was simply because Hinata had a good guess on who this person was.

“Junko, I’m afraid she hasn’t arrived yet.” Hinata’s guess was correct.   


“Don’t you wish not to see her?”

“Of course, but I would be much more comfortable having an eye on her then just letting her roam free.” He took a harsh sip of his wine before continuing his search. Hinata sighed, standing up straight.

“I will be meeting with Chiaki in the garden.” Hinata moved in front of Komaeda, bowing before him before he turned around to join in with the crowd. 

He slipped past the acres of people as he made his way to the entrance and strolled out into the winter’s breeze. A chill chased down his spine as he got accustomed to the cold. He looked around until he found Chiaki sleeping away on one of the stone benches that stood near the entrance.

It was surrounded by small flowers that grew around the legs of the bench.

Even though you could clearly hear the music playing from outside, she was still in a peaceful sleep. He gently shook her awake, watching as she woke herself up and fixed up her appearance to make herself more presentable.

“I didn’t realise how cold it is out here, let's head inside.” He was beginning to drag Chiaki inside until-

“Wait!” Hinata turned around. 

“It’s crowded in there...let’s stay out here for a bit longer.” Hinata sighed but sat next to her on the bench nonetheless. 

“If this is too much for you, you can always go home.” Nanami shook her head.

“I want to stay...it’s the first time I’ve seen you in months.”

“It won’t be the last time, I’m sure I’ll visit for Christmas.” Nanami looked down, finding a deep interest in her shoes.

Before Hinata could consol Nanami further, a carriage had arrived at the castle grounds. It was a deep red with gold embellishments on every corner and door. It was magnificently built but something about it didn’t feel right.

The carriage stopped not that far away from the two of them as a doorman walked up and opened the doors. Out came one woman who was dressed in a deep red dress with frills covering all over it. Her hair was bunched up into two high pigtails which looked quite ridiculous, especially on someone who looked so wealthy. She waved a fan over her face as she stepped out, using the doorman to support her.

The next woman to come out was a guard who was dressed in traditional metal armour with a cape flowing behind them. The two newcomers strolled over to the front door and entered the ball.

“Do you know those people?” Nanami whispered even when the two were out of sight.

“No, just because I work in a palace doesn’t mean I know every wealthy person that's attending the ball.” Hinata sighed.

“That’s true...anyways, you wanted to go inside..right?” Hinata smiled and they walked back inside the ballroom.

Upon entering, Hinata immediately noticed Komaeda talking with the wealthy lady that had walked in. He paused for a moment, Nanami looking up at him with concern. Was she Junko Enoshima? He turned to face Chiaki, sorrow laced in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” He looked at the wealthy lady and back to Chaiki, “I’m far too curious, I promise I won't be gone for long.” Nanami nodded.

“Don't worry, I’ll be fine...I think.” She looked down thoughtfully before Hinata spoke a quiet goodbye and rushed his way over to the stairs. 

His curiosity was getting ahead of him and his eagerness was physically showing. As he got closer to the stairs, his unease started to settle in, the menacing aura from her was getting to his head. He walked up the stairs at lightning speed and met up with Komaeda, standing by his side.

“You really outdid yourself Komaeda, didn't expect this from you…” Junko already had a drink in her hand that she swirled effortlessly.

“Thank you, Miss Enoshima.” Komaeda bowed as Junko scoffed.

“Oh please, drop the miss already Ko-“ She had finally noticed Hinata’s presence.

He had been standing quietly by Komaeda, analysing Junko. She seemed quite sociable but had this authoritative presence washed over her. He felt Junko’s eyes trace down his body like dirt, eye squinted with confusion and disgust. However, she snapped back to her cheery mood instantly.

“Oh wow! Who are you?!” Junko leaned far too close to Hinata, a big grin plastered on her face.

“This is Hajime Hinata, he is my servant.” Junko then leaned back and gave room for Hinata to bow to her himself.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Your Majesty.” His voice wavered but he tried to keep it steady.

“You’re so hopelessly boring…” She spoke in a monotone voice that threw Hinata off completely, “It's quite astonishing you got such a job!” She was back to her obnoxious self. Hinata was about to plough his head through a wall if he kept talking to her.

“I-...uh..” Hinata stumbled on his tongue, knowing it was rude to leave Junko hanging.

“Would you care to dance?” Komaeda spoke up, holding a hand out to Junko.

“Following customs? As if?!” She flapped her fan directly in front of Komaeda’s face before hooking her arm around Hinata’s.

“You’re so average it’s amazing. Oh, the despair to be as boring as you~” Junko fanned her face aggressively as Hinata stood dumbfounded. Insults were attacking him but with no room to defend.

Even then, Hinata got dragged away by Junko as she flapped her pretty fan away. He zoned her out for the most part. If all she was going to say were insults and useless comments, he’d rather save his ears.

He had been zoned out for so long, he didn’t even realise the complete change of setting until he saw Junko click her fingers in front of him.

“God don’t be brain dead too!” Junko huffed. Hinata noticed the guard was now by her side, she seemed to be giving him an intrigued look.

“I-I apologise, Your Majesty, but I must ask why have you taken me outside..” Hinata played with the collar of his shirt.

“You don’t know? God you’re still useless,” Junko huffed for the millionth time before squeezing her cheeks, “You don’t rwemember me?” She spoke in a sappy baby voice.

“I’m sure we haven’t met before..”He had no clue why he was doubting himself, he knew very well he had never met Junko prior.

“Age reeeally didn’t do you well Izuru,” Glasses appeared onto her face as she adjusted them. The guards' eyes seemed to widen in shock.

“Uh...Izuru?”

“Ugh, you’re such a pain. How could you NOT remember me?! I literally killed your family?!” The glasses disappeared from her face as she stomped her foot.

Hinata’s world was spinning before him. His family wasn’t dead, obviously not. Chiaki was at the ball with him, she would have told him if their mom or dad had died. Everyone was alive.

“What?...”

“Yep! How else do you think I became Queen?” She had the most killer of smiles on her face. The grin had despair and misfortune dripping all over it. 

Hinata was struggling to breathe. From Junko’s erratic personality, to the supposed ‘death of his family’. Words weren’t forming in his head.

“Your Majesty, I-“

“Oops, did I say that out loud?! I’m such a hopeless cluts.” Junko giggled as she jogged off, leaving him with her guard.

“Is it...truly you...Izuru?” The guard asked quietly. Hinata promptly shook his head, he was much calmer once Junko left.

“My name is Hajime Hinata. I don’t know anyone named Izuru” He felt the guard’s eyes cast over him.

“You do have a striking resemblance, and Miss Enoshima is never wrong…”

“I do believe she’s wrong this time, I am not this Izuru person.” The guard looked at him a little longer, taking slow breaths.

“...It’d be best to discuss this at a later date.” The guard promptly walked off with a stiff posture. 

Hinata was on the verge of tears. The stress of being confronted by such a menacing figure and having absurd accusations thrown his way made him wish to throw up. Hinata stumbled his way back inside the ballroom, dreading every step he took.

Once he entered the ballroom, he immediately noticed Chiaki talking with Ibuki by the wall. Hinata smiled at the sight of her trying to be more social. But before he could join them, a hand had grabbed his wrist and was dragging him through the crowd. The perpetrator was none other than Komaeda.

He was swerving Hinata through the crowds, up the stairs and onto one of the balconies that watched over the entrance to the castle. Hinata was out of breath even though they hadn't walked a long distance.

“What did she tell you?” Hinata looked at Komaeda with confusion laced in his eyes.

“Junko?”

“Of course Junko, tell me what she said.”   
  
“W-why does it matter so much?!”   


“You can’t trust anything she says,” Komaeda furiously shook his head, “She does nothing but mess with you. If you tell me, I can try and figure out her motive.” Hinata was slightly uncomfortable as Komaeda looked at him with pure desperation. He wasn’t used to seeing such emotion on the King’s face.

“I-I’m not exactly sure what she was talking about...something about ‘Izuru’?” Hinata shrugged, brushing off his comment as Komaeda’s eyes grew wide. There was an enduring silence between the boys, the music from the ballroom still playing clearly. Komaeda then spoke up in a quiet voice.

“...are you sure?” Hinata nodded.

“Do you know who Izuru is?”

“Yes, though it’s quite a story. I just wonder why she was talking about  _ him  _ with you…” Hinata thought about bringing up the whole ‘dead parents’ fiasco with him but pushed the thought away. He wanted to know more about Izuru before bringing it up.

“Could...you tell me about him?”

“In the morning, I’ll have more time then.” Hinata wondered how long the story was until he noticed a round of applause coming from the ballroom and a new song starting to play. This one was significantly slower than the last song but still had an easy-going and light rhythm to it.

“Let’s take our minds off Junko, shall we?” Looking back at Komaeda, he noticed the King holding out his hand towards Hinata.

“Don’t tell me you're asking me for a dance?” Hinata huffed with an amused grin.

“After such a painful topic, I think it’s only fair.”

“I hope you’re not suggesting we dance downstairs?!”

“I don’t see the problem?...” Komaeda was clearly confused at Hinata’s deeming tone.

“People talk, the last thing I need on my plate is...questionable rumours about me.”   
  
“Fine, we’ll dance up here.” Hinata was more satisfied with that. He sighed but took his hand as he got pulled into a traditional waltz position. He let his hand rest on Komaeda’s shoulder as his other hand was warped by the King’s gloved one.

And the pair joined with the music, stepping lightly. They couldn't move too much due to the cramped balcony so they mostly stuck to swaying, stepping around each other in a slow circle.

“For such a shut-in, I wouldn’t expect you to find pleasure in dancing.” Hinata half-whispered, conscious of the lack of space between the two.

“It’s quite nice without an audience,” Komaeda spoke in the same soft tone Hinata was speaking in.

They danced a while longer before Komaeda brought back up a conversation.

“Have you taken dancing lessons before? For a commoner, you’re quite experienced.” Hinata glared at Komaeda at the use of the word ‘commoner’ but brushed it off. No use getting angry when you’re stuck in a dance with him.

“I haven’t, but I like to say I’m a fast learner.” Komaeda hummed, maintaining eye contact with Hinata.

“Do you enjoy dancing?” 

“Can’t say I’ve done much dancing prior but I guess it's fun to simply pass the time.” Hinata shrugged, not holding any strong feelings towards the subject.

“Are you having fun currently?” Komaeda asked and Hinata debated whether to be honest or lie.

“Not really. I’m honestly worried someone will come upstairs. Junko has also damped my mood considerably and being around all these people have made me considerably tired and overwhelmed.” Hinata cringed at how open he was being but the words had already left his mouth and Komaeda seemed quite pleased by his answer, for some reason.

“No need to fret,” Komaeda stepped back, dropping his hand from Hinata’s waist. However, he pulled the gloved hand that was wrapped around Hinata’s up to his face as he laid a gentle kiss on his knuckles, “The song is over.”   


Hinata couldn’t process the final chords of the waltz or the applause from the guest downstairs or the grin Komaeda wore so elegantly. He just dropped Hinata’s hand and briskly walked through the balcony door and back to the ballroom, leaving Hinata on the balcony in the winter climate with a blush dusted on his cheeks which didn’t seem to be from the cold.

Hinata shook himself out his trance embarrassingly late, patting down the mess that was his hair before joining the ballroom. He ignored Komaeda and the tingling sensation on his hand and made his way down to meet up with Chiaki. Upon seeing her, he sighed in joy.

“Hey hey,...how did it go?” Chiaki yawned, bags forming under her eyes.

“Umm, I wouldn’t say it went the best…” He would tell her the details but she looked quite tired and Hinata himself didn't know all the details. 

“Let’s go rest somewhere.” Hinata took Chiaki to a bench outside the palace where they talked and relaxed, unwinding after the busy night.

\--

The gala was finally coming to a close. All the guests had left, even Junko and Chiaki. Hinata was upset to see Chiaki go but she said that she was trying to get better at reading and writing and that she would be happy to receive letters from him. He smiled at the prospect and said that he would try. He couldn't share the same sentiment with Junko, he was far too happy to see her go.

Once all the guests had left, Hinata and Komaeda went to seek refuge in the King’s room, both sighing in relief once they were in the comfort of his chamber. Komaeda immediately went to strip off his attire, throwing his clothes on a nearby couch as Hinata slumped onto his bed.

“It's finally over…” Hinata happily sighed.

“Thank god, my feet are in agony,” Komaeda commented.

Hinata leaned back onto Komaeda’s bed, his body blessed by the comfort below him. He stared up at the fabric above the King’s bed, his eyes growing heavy.

“Gala next season?”   
  
“In your wildest dreams,” Komaeda spoke harshly as Hinata giggled in a sleepy tone.

He didn't feel like moving at all, the bed was so comfy and it was already so late in the night. He lazily kicked off his shoes before pulling his feet up onto the bed. He pushed himself so that his head would lay on a pillow and curled up, sighing in joy.

He fell asleep almost immediately after getting comfy, the last thing he remembered was seeing Komaeda putting on his sleep attire before passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! sorry for taking so long to post this chapter (school has been nothing but stressful) but I hope you enjoyed the gala chapter! I honestly feel like my writing is downgrading so just tell me if you think it is. Anyways, thank you for reading!!


	9. Sleepy Boys

Hinata slowly woke up, rubbing the sleepiness away from his eyes. He was oddly comfortable, the bed he was sleeping in was ridiculously soft, his back seeping into the sheets. He sighed in pleasure as he stretched his arms. 

He straightened them into the air and dropped them outwards. One thing he didn’t expect was for one of his arms to drop off the side of the bed and the other to hit something that was very much solid and very much not his comfy bed. 

To say the least, he screamed. He shot up and tried to scoot as far away as possible. However, he was already at the edge of the bed, and the only path from there was down.

And so Hinata fell off the bed and smacked his head right on the ground, he was ultimately thankful for the soft rug that softened the blow even slightly. He groaned as he pushed himself up with his arms, his legs still up on the bed.

He then heard a groan not too far away. 

“Could you not clear your vocal cords this early in the morning…” Hinata pushed himself off the floor and noticed Komaeda, sitting up in his bed while yawning.

“Sorry, I didn’t remember...falling asleep here…” Hinata awkwardly chuckled, coming to terms that yes, he did fall asleep in the King’s bed and yes the King was asleep right next to him. Hinata felt himself blush at the thought.

He pushed himself off the floor and sat cross-legged on Komaeda’s bed, watching as Komaeda pushed himself to rest against the headboard.

“How are you feeling?” Hinata asked, slightly worried at the sight of half-closed red eyes staring at him.

“Utterly exhausted, remind me to never host a gala for at least 20 years.” Komaeda groaned.

“Did you not enjoy it at least one bit?” Hinata jokingly spoke. He found it quite hilarious to see Komaeda completely drowsed in fatigue.

“Now don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable to some degree but god, all those people and that bitch nonetheless.” Hinata immediately knew who he was talking about and grumbled. That was when he was reminded of something.

“Hey, I remember you said you were-” A knock on the door broke Hinata’s train thought. Hinata crawled off his bed and strolled over to the double door. 

Upon opening it, Hinata was greeted by a scrawny boy handing him Komaeda’s breakfast on his infamous silver tray.

“You forgot to take it.” He spoke in a monotone voice as Hinata chuckled awkwardly.

“Sorry.” Hinata quickly snatched the tray before thanking the guy and closing the door behind him, leaving that awkward situation at the door.

“Going off schedule now? That won’t look good on your report.” Komaeda sighed, shaking his head.

“Yeah, yeah. Just eat,” He gave Komaeda his tray before sitting back onto his bed, giving time for him to organise everything on his plate.

He was planning to continue what he was going to say before he was cut off once again by Komaeda holding up a note that was on his tray. Hinata shuffled closer to the King so he could read the note himself.

However, Komaeda didn’t give him nearly enough time to properly read the note but managed to pick up the word ‘Sonia’ in the sentence.

”What did it say?” Hinata questioned.

“Sonia will be leaving shortly to go back home for her coronation.” Hinata sighed in relief that nothing bad had happened to the princess but mourned the fact that she would be leaving soon.

“I’m guessing we should bid them farewell.” Komaeda nodded, shoving a bit of sausage into his mouth. 

Hinata stood up from Komaeda’s bed and yawned, stretching out his sore muscles. He announced he would go change before seeing Sonia off.

—

Hinata was dragging Sonia's oddly heavy luggage as Komaeda and her happily chatted away in front of him. Koizumi was by his side, carrying a personal bag for the Princess.

Even though it was winter, the Sun was beaming down its heated rays as the icy wind hit their faces. It wasn’t perfect weather but it was a significant improvement from the blizzard-like weather that frequently hit the town.

The four of them stopped in front of a pure white carriage with gold and dark green accents along with the wheels and doors. A doorman immediately joined Hinata’s side and grabbed the bags from his hands to place onto the carriage. While the princess hadn’t brought a lot, they were surely heavy things. Both him and Koizumi joined their respective rulers’ sides.

“Thank you for your hospitality, I cannot express how much I enjoyed my stay here.” Sonia politely curtsied which Komaeda responded with a bow.

“You are always a welcomed guest here, I’d be happy for you to visit again.” Sonia smiled proudly before turning to Hinata. She quietly whispered to Koizumi who hurriedly nodded and rushed over to her luggage.

“I have something for you Hinata,” His eyes blew open in shock as Koizumi came back to Sonia with a small box in hand. She walked over and placed it gently into Hinata’s hands.

“It’s not much but I wanted to show my gratitude for your help here. You were quite the joy to be around. Komaeda wasn’t lying when he spoke highly of you.” Sonia whispered so only his ears could hear and Hinata blushed, embarrassed at the praise he was being fed. 

“T-thank you, your highness..” Hinata scratched his neck, balancing the box on one hand. Sonia beamed at him before turning around and heading towards the carriage doors.

“Oh yeah, I left a little gift of my own in our guest room. You should go check it.” Koizumi blurted out, turning slightly red. 

“I’ll go check it, don’t worry.” Hinata smiled, trying to comfort the girl with just his facial expressions. Luckily, it seemed to work as she calmed down and proudly smirked.

“Goodbye!” Koizumi and Sonia spoke separately, both girls climbing into the carriage before it rolled away, becoming a small blob of white the further along it went.

“What did she give you?!” Komaeda spoke, bouncing on his heels. Hinata looked down at the gift he was handed. It was in a pure black box with a simple green ribbon wrapped around it. 

He pulled off the ribbon and slowly opened the box to reveal a pair of white satin gloves and a small silver ring resting on top. Hinata pulled out the ring and inspected it under the morning sun. 

It was a plain silver ring but it had a singular green gem that was nested between the metal. Hinata smiled before slipping the ring on his pointer finger, continuing to admire it. It didn’t look expensive but he still didn't want to know the price tag of a ring from the princess.

“It’s quite lovely…” Komaeda commented softly, Hinata hummed in agreement. He then turned his attention back to the satin gloves in the box. Pulling them out, he inspected them to find nothing interesting of the sorts. The gloves had a faint trimming at the end but were purely white with no other design.

“I-I hope she wasn’t expecting me to wear them…” Hinata spoke in slow horror. He heard Komaeda softly giggle beside him.

“Hinata in some gloves and a walking dress, now wouldn’t that be a sight.” Hinata’s face flared up as he glared at the King, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. Komaeda simply responded with a beaming smile.

“Don’t get any ideas.” Hinata threatened him.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about..” Komaeda was still wearing his shit-eating grin even after he took the gloves out of Hinata’s hand.

“I guess this is just her way of showing respect to you, quite symbolic of her,” Komaeda whispered but it was loud enough for Hinata to hear.

“Perhaps..,” Hinata took back Sonia’s gloves and placed it gently into the box, “I guess we should go check out Koizumi’s gift?” Komaeda nodded.

They strolled through the palace calming, finding no need to make any conversation. That was until Twogami sped through the corridor at an alarming speed before halting millimetres away from Komaeda.

“Your Majesty, we have some matters to attend to.” Twogami stiffly bowed his head. Komaeda gave Hinata a quick look.

“Go and look at Koizumi’s gift for me,” Komaeda whispered to him before turning back to Twogami, “Lead the way.” Twogami then sped away, Komaeda following his tail. 

Hinata sighed before continuing his journey to Sonia’s guest room. He greeted some coworkers on the way and even had a quick chat with Peko.

Once he made it to the guest room, he briskly entered and noticed the bed had been freshly made and the scent of cleanliness hung the air. It was then he noticed the object in the middle of the room that was hidden under a large grey cloth. He couldn’t make out what was under the cloth and a stroke of curiosity hit him.

He slowly paced himself towards the questionable object, a shaky hand stretching out. He slipped the material in his grip before sharply tugging it off and dropped it almost immediately as he admired the sight before him.

It was a painting of the ballroom during Sonia and Komaeda’s dance upon a silver easel. The shapes of the crowd, palace or royals weren’t specifically defined, just colours upon colours, forming shapes and emotions before him. It was breathtaking. Koizumi had a true eye for beauty and colour. 

Hinata brushed his hand gently across the painting, feeling the rough canvas and the smooth paint and brushstrokes. He couldn’t get enough of it. It was when his hand paused that he let out a hearty laugh. Among the gorgeous warm colours and burst of talent, he noticed Koizumi had drawn his ahoge peeking out from the crowd. It was a detail Hinata found remarkably sweet.

Once he felt like he had taken in the full painting, he draped the grey cloth back over the easel and ran out. He was determined to show Komaeda and Twogami the painting and force them to hang it up. He was not gonna let Koizumi’s work be put in a storage room to gather dust.

\--

Hinata had managed to drag the two boys into the guest room and forced them to see the painting. Twogami had expressed his admiration for the girl’s work while Komaeda immediately started giggling at the little ahoge sticking out. Currently, they were discussing where to put the painting in the castle.

Hinata stood further back, happy that he simply managed to complete his mission and convince them both. He was lost in his thoughts till he felt a weight pull on his shoulders.

“Hinataaa~” Ibuki squealed, hugging the boy’s shoulders, causing him to buckle his knees.

“I-Ibuki-” Hinata was not nearly strong enough to hold up the weight of the girl especially with all the metal and spikes she adhered her outfits with. She finally let him go and stood right in front of the boy as he rubbed his neck.

“What are you doing here?” Hinata winced.

“I was just passing by but I just had to greet my favourite spiky boy when I saw him!” Ibuki gleamed. She then turned around and noticed Komaeda and Twogami standing not too far away. Ibuki gasped.

“Oh my! What are they doing here?” Ibuki loudly whispered and Hinata was pretty sure that the two boys away from them could still hear.

“Look between them,” And she did what Hinata said and squealed out in joy.

“Oh! It’s wonderful! Ibuki totally just got crazy inspiration from that,” Hinata sighed in bliss, “Inspiration from artist to artist…”

Hinata smiled softly at Ibuki’s reaction and went to pinch her cheek to snap her out of her trance. She jumped up in shock and rubbed her cheek.

“Actually, that painting just reminded me of a little something, something~” She spoke in a sing-song tone, prancing around Hinata.

“Huh?” Hinata stiffly said, honestly terrified of whatever Ibuki saw.

“Ibuki knows what Ibuki saw~...” She twirled before standing up on her tiptoes to cup her hands around Hinata’s ear, softly whispering, “at the ball” She giggled as she skipped around Hinata’s frozen body, hyper-aware of the king and advisor standing not too far away.

God, she could be talking about anything. So much happened that night he didn’t even know where to begin. Of course, some things were worse than others. Such as dancing with the bloody king, on a balcony. Hinata got shivers at the thought.

“I-Ibuki you’re gonna h-have to be more specific-”

“Hinata.” A shiver rushed through his spine as he was interrupted by Komaeda. He turned to face the king.

“We’ve planned a place, it’ll be hung up by tonight. Is that alright?” Hinata hurriedly nodded. 

“I-i’m gonna stay with Ibuki for a bit, I’ll catch up with you later.” Hinata waved scarcely, his thoughts still very much trained on the metal heap that was Ibuki.

Komaeda luckily nodded and left, Twogami following behind. Once Hinata saw they were far enough down the hallway, he turned his attention right back to the girl.

“Ibuki, what did you see?” Hinata spoke sternly. 

“Huh? OHHH, yeah! I saw you with that lady, I forgot her name but she was dragging you away and stuff. Don’t think I forgot you sneaky hedgehog.”

Hinata let out a sigh of relief and began to explain himself.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. It was purely work-related. We talked briefly outside and went our own ways, nothing more.” Ibuki huffed but eventually shone her signature smile.

“Thank god! I thought your taste just crumbled off a cliff. Good to know my favourite hedgehog is still sane.” Ibuki squished her cheeks.

“Stop calling me a hedgehog.”

“Not while you still have that hair.” She ruffled Hinata’s hair before skipping away. Humming a song he recognised from the ball. Hinata sighed for the millionth time that morning and thanked the lords that the conversation didn’t go as downhill as he expected.

However, the mention of Junko did remind him of something very important he was meant to talk about with Komaeda. I guess now is a better time than never.

Hinata briskly left the guest room, closing the door behind him.

\--

Hinata was briskly strolling around the castle in search of the king. He had one goal in mind and was determined to complete it. He was checking room after room, peeping in before leaving. It was when he entered the King’s library did he finally find him.

He found the king calmly resting on a couch with a thick book in his hand. Hinata quietly closed the door behind him and sat next to the king on the couch, catching Komaeda’s attention.

“Oh, hello.” Komaeda greeted him before sucking his attention back to his book.

“Hi, can we...talk?” Hinata reached over to touch Komaeda’s book. The king looked at him with a confused expression but folded the corner of his page and set the book down on the floor. 

“I...at the ball, you told me you were gonna explain everything about ‘Izuru’ to me.” Hinata awkwardly said, he noticed Komaeda grimace but sighed.

“There’s not particularly a lot about him, is there really a need?” He was not going to let Komaeda pave his way out of this.

“Please, anything helps.” Komaeda sighed and adjusted himself.

“Well, I’m not sure how much Junko told you but, Izuru Kamukura was the prince of Hope’s Peak. I had met him once back when I was 7 but it was only a brief greeting. I barely even remember what he looked like. It was a few months after I had met him when an attack happened at the castle. A few hundred people stormed the castle, killing workers and eventually reaching the royal family and murdering them. The king and queen were confirmed dead but the prince’s body was never found. There’s no information over who was in charge of the attack or who was the exact person to kill the family but there’s a lot about the case that’s a complete mystery.” Komaeda sighed, having finished his story.

“You know...quite a lot from the top of your head…” Hinata was taken aback by the horrifying story. He felt a pang at his heart just listening to it.   


“It was a huge scandal when it happened; I’m surprised you didn’t know about it.”

“I guess I just didn’t pay much attention, how did Junko manage to take the throne?”

“She claimed she was connected to the deceased family by blood and was crowned queen not long after. Again, none of the specific details was released.” Komaeda shrugged.

“...I guessed they tried to cover a lot up…”

“Definitely…” The two sat in silence. Komaeda fiddled with his dress shirt as Hinata sorted through the new information.

“...Thank you…” Hinata softly whispered.

“For what?”

“For...telling me, I guess. I know it’s not a lot but it helps.” Komaeda gave his signature smile.

“Of course.” Hinata stood up, brushing off invisible dust.

“I’ll go finish up some work then,” Hinata spoke over his shoulder as he strolled over to the door. Komaeda waved at him, picking back up his book from the floor. Hinata left with a sigh, his mood significantly dampened from the story.

\--

_ It was the same feeling of fire and burning he had felt nights before. He gagged and coughed at the suffocation smoke filling his lungs.  _

_ He was outside. It was a clear night when his hand was caught in a tightening grip as he was pulled across the stone pathway. He used a corner of his sleeping shirt to cover his nose and mouth. Hoping the thin material could cover up the nauseating smell of burning.  _

_ His legs were starting to give up as he slowed down but the grip on his hands tugged him forwards, his legs breaking out in a run again. _

_ “Wh-where...ah..are we..ah..go-wh-” He panted out, struggling to catch his breath. _

_ “You’ll be okay I promise, just keep up.” The woman spoke in a soft yet strong voice that seemed to calm him down. _

_ His head lolled in a nod as he kept running. He could hear screaming, chanting, crying. He was tripping over bats and steel pipes, some covered in a crimson fluid. He didn’t even have time to react as he was dragged along by the woman. _

_ He then was abruptly stopped and lifted up in the air. He squeaked out but was motherly shushed as the woman set him down inside a warm carriage.  _

_ “Behave.” She said before closing the carriage door as it immediately started to move. He screamed, feeling hot tears streak down his face as he banged on the carriage door. He cried and cried, unable to wipe the tears fast enough to cover it up.  _

_ It was one last bang on the carriage door that woke him up. _

\--

Hinata deeply breathed in as he shot up from his bed. His face was red and wet and his body was shaking.

Another nightmare. 

He laid down in his bed again, wiping away the flowing tears. It was when he felt a heavyweight on his bed that he opened his eyes back up.

Hinata was greeted with the sight of Hope sitting patiently on his bed, whimpering as if he was crying as well.

“Sorry boy.” Hinata scratched Hope’s head, laughing through his tears, “Didn’t mean to worry you.”

He continued to scratch Hope’s head and body until the tears had dried and his breathing evened out. He was so tired from all the emotions he had to go through so he elected to just lay down on his bed, wrapping one of his arms around Hope’s body as he closed his eyes. The weight of Hope next to him helped the boy lull himself to sleep again.

\-- 

Hinata would be lying if he said he felt great that morning. His neck was oddly stiff and his eyes were threatening to close again. The only reason he didn’t pass out again was that Hope was whimpering beside his door, pawing at it.

Hinata unwillingly got up and opened the door for Hope as he immediately ran out, barking happily. He shoved the door shut and groaned. Since he was already up, he got changed and slugged his way to the breakfast hall. 

His feet were dragging across the floor the entire trip and by the time he sat down at the table, he felt his head try to lower itself unto the soup in front of him.

And to make the boy's mood even worse, a certain energetic mechanic decided to sit next to him.

“Hey Hin- oh you look absolutely trashed.” Soda winced at the pure sight of him. Hinata didn’t even want to have this conversation in the first place. 

“Yeah, I had a rough night. That’s all.” He groaned out, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes as he blew on his soup.

“Sorry about that. But, I kinda want a little something after helping you and the king sneak out for your date.” Soda spoke far too loudly for Hinata’s taste.

“First of all, it wasn’t a date,” Hinata said as he reached into his pocket to pull out a few loose coins he had and chucked it towards the eccentric mechanic. He ate as he watched Soda count the coins before tucking them away in his trousers, clearly satisfied.

“Sure, sure. Anyways, I’ll see you later, right?” Soda was already standing up, stretching his arms above his head.

“Did you just come here to take some money from me?”

“Well, I...wanted to say hello to my dear friend?” Soda shrugged as Hinata sighed. He shoved more soup into his mouth as he grumbled a goodbye to Soda. 

The mechanic left as Hinata finished his bowl before heading down to the kitchen to pick up Komaeda’s breakfast. It was the same assortment of dishes as usual with his side of pills that Hinata was incredibly familiar with.

He made his slow and gradual walk to Komaeda’s room, making sure he was walking correctly and that he didn't spill anything on the tray. He didn’t even make the effort to greet anyone in the palace, simply focused on his goal. 

By the time he was in Komaeda’s room, he was mentally unconscious. He let his body take control of the familiar routine. Ripping the curtains apart, waking up the king and giving him the tray of food. His mind woke back up when a pale hand snapped in front of his face.

“Hinata, are you alright?” Komaeda looked at him with a deeply concerned expression.

“Hmm? Oh...yeah...tired.” Hinata mumbled.

“God, you look like you're going to drop any moment now,” Komaeda commented, “Did you sleep last night?”

“Yeah...I just had a nightmare..that’s all.” Hinata brushed it off like it was nothing.

“A nightmare? About what?”

“Oh, just...it was weird I can’t even...I was just running and-” Hinata loudly yawned, “They’re happening fairly often, It’s quite annoying.” Hinata’s head sagged.

“Do you remember them?”

“Only for like...a few hours. I forget them fairly quickly.” He watched as Komaeda contemplated for a while.

He felt Komaeda scoot in his bed, he had moved to the other side of the bed. Hinata gave him a confused look as Komaeda patted the now empty space next to him.

“Rest. You’re clearly not fit to work right now.” He moved his hand away and Hinata immediately fell onto the pillow. He kicked off his shoes before pulling his leg up onto the bed and curling into himself.

With his extreme sleepiness and the added comfort of a bed underneath him, he was already growing unconscious. He sighed happily as he felt a hand thread through his hair, rubbing soft and slow circles into his scalp. He leaned his head back against the hand, enjoying the soft touch.

He fell asleep happily that morning, with no nightmare haunting his sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i just make hinata sleep in komaedas bed at the end of the chapter again? yes i did. did i make sonia give hinata gloves to purely make a joke about hinata in a dress? yes i did. anyways thank you for reading AND for over 2000 hits!! I appreciate a lot you all get a kiss god damn.


	10. Hope Bark

A week has passed since the gala and the castle was back to normal. The energy from the gala had died out and everyone was back to their daily lives. However, life was not getting easier for Hinata.

His nightmares were taking its toll, causing many abrupt awakenings. He would normally fall asleep shortly after but recently, he has been writing down his nightmares upon awakening. When he woke up from a nightmare, he would immediately start jotting down all the critical features of his dream. His memory would start to give up on him even when he had just woken up so Hinata was quick to write down everything. He had filled up a good amount of pages and even started linking some dreams together. 

Unfortunately, he was nowhere near understanding these hellish nightmares.

But for now, the dreams were off Hinata’s mind. He was on his way to give Komaeda his breakfast. He casually strolled his way through the castle, stopping by a mirror to fix his hair before continuing. He had slept well that night and was in quite a good mood, he just hoped nothing ruined it.

Upon entering Komaeda’s room, he was greeted by an unfamiliar sight. The curtains were blown open, letting the morning light trickle in as Komaeda was stuffing a handful of clothing into a briefcase. Hinata had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing things correctly.

“How are you awake?” Hinata spoke as he caught the King’s attention. Komaeda briefly stopped his packing to face Hinata.

“Twogami woke me up early. Today is Sonia’s coronation after all-“ 

“Wait what?!” Hinata interrupts Komaeda, placing his breakfast on his desk so he doesn’t drop it.

“Huh? Were you not informed?”

“No?! Since when was this happening?” Hinata exclaimed. Komaeda looked genuinely shocked that the boy didn’t know but shook away his expression.

“I was given an invite to her coronation around a week ago. It’s scheduled for this noon so I have to leave fairly soon. I should be back by tomorrow morning.” Komaeda explained.

“Am I not coming along?”

“No, you can’t come for security reasons. You’ll continue working here in the meantime.” Hinata sulked, wishing he could see the girls again.

Komaeda then joined Hinata’s side, quickly taking his medication and bites out of his food. He switched between packing and eating where Hinata helped along and it wasn’t long till both tasks were complete. 

Komaeda closed and picked up his briefcase before turning to Hinata.

“Will you walk with me?”

“Of course” Hinata rushed to Komaeda’s side as they strolled out of the King’s chamber.

They had a quiet and calm walk through the palace where they stopped to admire the painting Koizumi had painted for them. Komaeda still laughed at the ahoge where Hinata huffed and blushed at his reaction. 

But eventually, they walked outside of the castle where a grand carriage greeted them.

“I’ll see you soon, Hinata.” Komaeda politely bowed at Hinata which thoroughly shocked the boy considering their statuses. 

“I hope you enjoy your time there.” The two smiled at each other before Komaeda climbed up and into the carriage. The king gave Hinata a short wave out of the window which made Hinata gleam and wave back as the carriage drove off into the distance.

As the carriage got further and further away, a certain friend decided to greet him. He looked down to find a pair of paws placed on his thigh as Hope looked up and panted at him. 

“I guess you’ll be good company,” Hinata ruffled the dog's fur playfully. Hope barked happily. Hinata walked back into the castle as light footsteps followed him.

\--

Hinata didn’t think spending all his time with Hope would be that enjoyable. Hope was much more behaved than Hinata expected. He sat patiently as Hinata cleaned and sorted around the castle. He thought Hope would eventually get bored and leave but he sat loyally by Hinata’s side.

Of course, Hinata didn’t just work and ignore the dog. He made sure Hope was rewarded every time sat and waited for Hinata to finish. It was to the point that Hinata’s pockets were filled with dog treats to give to Hope.

Hinata was currently on his break and was resting outside next to Gundham’s barn. He was eating a sandwich he had taken from the kitchen while Hope sat on his lap, staring expectantly at his sandwich even though he had just eaten.

Gundham walked out of his barn, brushing off dirt from his hands, “It seems my work is done here. However, one is never finished when they have cruel connections to the otherworld-”

“Are you going to join me?” Hinata looked up to at the absurd boy.

“...yes.” Gundham walked over to Hinata and sat down. Hope lied down to cover Gundham’s lap.

“I see you have brought along your Patronus,” Gundham spoke, petting the dog.

“Oh yeah, he’s been following me around all day,” Hinata spoke mid-bite.

“He is quite well behaved for being such a wild beast of the underworld,” Gundham exclaimed. Hinata was far too used to the breeder’s ramblings and had just come to embrace them.

“How have you been?” Hinata asked.

“If my animals are well, I am well.” Gundham solemnly spoke. Hinata was planning to respond but spotted something out of the corner of his eyes.

The front gate of the palace was being opened as a carriage rolled in. Hinata originally thought that Komaeda had come back due to travel issues or something of the sorts but upon seeing the carriage, that thought was completely thrown out the window. The carriage looked nothing like the one Komaeda was in.

“That’s...weird,” Hinata commented loudly.

“Is something the matter, mortal?” Gundham asked before turning his attention to the carriage.

“...His Majesty has left the castle ages ago. No one should be entering the premise unless its cargo.” Hinata quietly spoke, trying to sort his confused thoughts.

“Well, that is clearly not a delivery carriage…” Gundham commented as the pair watched the carriage, even Hope was watching. They sat in silence as Hinata quickly finished his sandwich.

“I’ll go see who it is,” Hinata spoke abruptly standing up causing Hope to fall off his lap.

“Do be safe Hinata. I’m sensing a dark energy forming from that intruder.” Gundham tucked his chin behind his scarf before heading inside his barn. 

He wasn’t wrong. The carriage was a deep red yet awfully regal. It felt familiar to Hinata but he couldn’t pinpoint how. 

Hinata quickly-paced himself to the carriage, Hope following right behind him. He made his way across the garden and the stone pathway to the carriage door and flung it open. He was greeted with the sight of Mukuro, sitting calmly inside. She wasn’t wearing her usual armour and was instead, cladded in a black comfortable looking suit.

“His Majesty is currently not in the country. Please come back another day-” Hinata was beginning to shut the carriage door but was stopped by a foot poking out. He opened the door once again to see Mukuro standing, making her way down the carriage steps.

“Your Lady-” 

“His Majesty’s presence is not needed, I am here to visit you,” Mukuro spoke calmly yet vaguely threatening. He heard Hope barking and gently reached down to comfort him.

“My visit will be short, may we speak in a more comfortable setting?” Hinata looked back up to meet Mukuro’s deathly stare. A shiver traced down his spine.

“I-... Follow me.” Hinata hated the decision he made but curiosity had caught him and if Mukuro was simply here for him, why not talk.

Mukuro followed him while Hope stayed behind at the carriage, growling and barking at it. The two stayed in complete silence as they walked. Hinata led her to a drawing-room that was located near the palace entrance.

The room was, thankfully, not in use and Hinata opened the door to let Mukuro in. The walls were lined with bookshelves with only one wall possessing a large window. Two couches with a table in between them lied in the middle.

Hinata and Mukuro took a seat opposite each other.

“Let’s keep this as short as possible. What are you here for?” Hinata asked sternly, incredibly wary of the girl in front of him. 

“I have a request from Queen Junko. She wishes to present you with an offer.” Mukuro spoke slowly and clearly.

“Could she have not sent me a letter?” He goes through all the trouble to let Mukuro in when Komaeda wasn’t home for something that could have easily been written in a letter. He was definitely breaking some rules here.

“You’ll understand soon if you simply let me speak.” She grimaced and Hinata felt fear drip down his back like a bleeding candle. He nodded slowly.

“The offer is quite a simple one. You join Her Majesty back in Hope’s Peak and you will know everything about your past. All of your questions will be answered.” Her voice was level-headed as she kept stern eye content with Hinata.

“Why do I have to go to Hope’s Peak? Why can’t you just tell me here and now? How do I know you have all the answers-”

“Izuru,” Mukuro softly said but it was enough to shut Hinata up completely, not even giving him a chance to correct her. “If you wish to know Her Majesty’s intentions, you may ask her yourself. We promise you that all your queries will disappear.”

Hinata was pissed, royally pissed. He just wanted to understand what was happening with this entire situation but here he was, being bribed to Hope’s Peak with the promise of information. It wasn’t like they were asking him to go to some house or something. They wanted him to go to an entirely different country and stay there for who knows how long. What if they trapped him inside her castle and locked him up like a prisoner-

“All you have to do is join the carriage ride back with me, Izuru. I can even tell you what happened that night during the journey”

That...night. Hinata’s attention peaks as he looks up at Mukuro, eyes blown wide with confusion yet shock.

“You...know what happened?”

“I was there.” Hinata’s breath catches in his throat. She could very well be lying to him but if those nightmares are connected to  _ ‘that night’  _ and Mukuro was present-

Maybe this was his best chance-...

“...is that all?” Hinata faintly spoke, almost scared of his own voice.

“Have you made your decision?” A silence wraps the pair.

“...yes,” Hinata looks up at Mukuro, “I will not be coming with you, I am not convinced.” It was a blatant lie on his part but it was like a safety blanket, hiding him from the truth that flashed right in front of him.

“hm...then I shall leave.” Mukuro stood up, dusting off invisible dirt from her clothing before sauntering away. When she reached for the door, she spoke a final time.

“I trust you will make the correct choice soon, Izuru.” Mukuro left the room, closing the door so silently behind her Hinata had to check if she actually left. 

He let out a heavy sigh before resting his head in his hands. He let Mukuro’s words sink into his head as he took everything in. He took slow, even breaths, holding back every urge to scream. He could never imagine such a calm day could turn sour so quickly.

\--

The next morning arrived and Hinata was silently changing Komaeda’s bedsheets as Hope ran around the room. Hope somehow still clung to Hinata, even managing to find the dog curled up on his bed last night. He wasn’t going to complain about having company during the night. 

He was shoved out of his thoughts when Hope started barking at the window. Hinata guessed he saw an animal like a bird or squirrel and let his animal instincts kick in. Hinata finished arranging the last pillow before walking over to the dog.

“Hope, get down-” He pulled the dog by its collar but stopped upon noticing a carriage roll into the palace. This time, however, he could identify it as Komaeda’s carriage instantaneously. 

Hope ran out of Hinata’s already weak clutch and left the room, Hinata following behind the dog. Of course, he wasn’t running nearly as fast as Hope but took his time to put away any cleaning supplies he was using. 

Once Hinata reached the front gate, he recognised Komaeda kneeling on the ground ruffling Hope’s fur with a gleaming smile. Hinata got closer as Komaeda noticed his presence and stood up to wave. Hope stood on his back legs, panting loudly and pawing at Komaeda.

“Welcome back, how was the coronation?” Hinata spoke calmly, a smile sneaking onto his face.

“It was wonderful, Sonia was delighted to finally be crowned.” Komaeda continued to pet Hope while still looking at Hinata.

“That’s it? Come on, you have to tell me more than that,” Hinata huffed. A doorman handed Hinata Komaeda’s luggage and with a short ‘thank you’, him, Komaeda and Hope made their way back to Komaeda’s room.

During the walk, Hinata pried Komaeda for more information. Komaeda said small details now and again, not giving nearly enough information to feed Hinata’s intrigue. 

By the time they made it to Komaeda’s room, a tea set was already placed on his desk and the two sat down to enjoy themselves, Hope settling himself between the two boys feet.

“How have you been doing?” Komaeda asked in the middle of one of Hinata’s questions.

“Uh...me?”

“Who else?” Komaeda said with a blank face and a monotone voice.

“Oh...nothing really, Hope just followed me around for the most part and-,” Hinata stopped, eyes blown wide as he remembered Mukuro’s intrusion. Komaeda tilted his head, clearly confused that Hinata had stopped halfway.

“and?” Komaeda started, drawing out each syllable.

“Sooo...Mukuro, kind of...came to the palace yesterday.” Hinata scratched the back of his neck, suddenly growing shyer.

“Huh?” Komaeda straightened, shock illustrated on his face.

“Look, she came to the castle, spoke with me briefly about Izuru before leaving.“ Hinata said in one breathe. He didn't want to tell Komaeda about the ‘going to Hope’s Peak’ part. He didn’t want to do it in the first place so, there was no need.

“God, more about Izuru?” Komaeda sneered, leaning back into his chair as he took a long sip from his cup.

“Is...something wrong?” Hinata queried.

“It’s getting quite ridiculous at this point. I just think this whole Izuru scandal is completely pointless. He obviously died when he was a child, Junko is just trying to start something.” Komaeda grimaced, circling his cup.

“How come?” Hinata felt like he probably shouldn’t pry but he was interested in Komaeda’s view on it.

“Hinata, do you honestly believe a young boy would be able to escape from armies of people trying to kill him? I believe that Izuru simply tried to run away, got caught and was slaughtered away from the castle. Hence no body being found,” Komaeda made eye contact with Hinata, “It’s simply false hope, Hinata. Clinging onto something so painfully false.”

Hinata considered the idea. It’s not like he could rebuttal it, he had no evidence to prove that Izuru was alive, let alone that he possibly could be Izuru himself. But Hinata didn’t like dwelling on that, he didn’t want to believe it and let alone question it.

“I won’t tell you you’re wrong. Hell, I can barely believe it myself.” Hinata defensively said.

“But is that really true?” Komaeda asked, lifting an eyebrow in doubt. 

“I-I’m sorry?” Hinata’s eyebrows furrowed. Trying to understand the King in front of him.

“I think you’re starting to believe Junko. You’re just falling into her grasp like everyone else,” Komaeda sighed, shaking his head, “How troubling...to think your hope was strong enough to fight against desp-”

“Please don’t bring me into your hope equation, Komaeda.” Hinata’s expression dropped as he stared at the king with dead eyes.

“But it applies to everyone. Everyone wagers some form of hope and despair it just depends how strong each side is-”

“Look, can we drop it?” Hinata’s patience was wearing thin. He could deal with Komaeda’s absurd hope rants, just letting him talk satisfied him. But now it’s being used to insult him?

“Of course, this really should have been expected. You’re just a regular civilian who forgot his palace in this world--”

“ _ Komaeda. _ ” Hinata clutched his hands into tight fists.

They were interrupted by the room’s door swinging open and Twogami bursting in, panting with a distressed look in his eyes.

“Yes?” Komaeda spoke in an almost annoyingly calm tone.

“Your Majesty, a rumour has begun to spread among the countries.” There was a brief silence as Twogami caught his breath.

“Hope’s Peak is planning a war against Novoselic.” The two boys were stunned.

“Impossible.” Komaeda quietly whispered to himself. 

However not even a week later, an official war was declared between Novoselic and Hope’s Peak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter is relatively shorter than other chapters but this was simply a lead up because HOOOO BOY is the next chapter a big one :). i'm very excited to write it.
> 
> also thank you for all the lovely comments in the last chapter, they made my week! and thank you to everyone who's reading, i appreciate it dearly.


	11. Let's Leave

The entire country was in distress. Jabberwock had a close alliance with Novoselic so everyone could tell what was going to happen.

“I’m going to help Sonia.”

“No, you’re not.” Both Hinata and Komaeda were sitting in one of the many drawing rooms. Komaeda was pacing up and down the room while Hinata laid back on the couch.

“Look, she’s just been crowned queen. The last thing she needs to do alone is a war.” Komaeda flailed his hands.

“Didn’t you say yourself that Junko has the strongest army? I hope you’re not planning to move all your funds to the army.”

“Hinata, I have to help her.”

“You’ll die out there!”

“I’ve done this before, I know what I’m doing!” The two looked away from each other, grumbling in their own heads. 

“You’ve...fought Junko before?” Hinata doesn’t remember hearing anything about a war between Hope’s Peak and Jabberwock recently. However, he did remember one from a while ago, back when he was a teenager…

“I- Komaeda how long have you’ve been king?” And of course, the wooden door to the room was swung wide open by a coworker. 

“Everyone has gathered, Your Majesty.” The random servant bowed.

“I will be there shortly,” Komaeda nodded, letting the boy go, “Stay here.” Komaeda directed towards him.

“Wait, aren’t you gonna answer my question?” Hinata straightened his back, holding a hand out as if it would stop the boy.

“Later, I’m holding a meeting,” Hinata grumbled, Komaeda strolled out of the room and closed the door behind him. Hinata didn’t need to think too hard to know what the subject of the meeting was going to be.

He waited a long minute before walking out the room and around the castle, in search of the meeting room Komaeda was planning to use. Surprisingly, Hinata found the room fairly quickly. He recognised the sound of chairs scraping and deep, low conversation through the stained door. Hinata pressed himself against the door, squishing his ear against the hardwood. The sound was heavily muffled but distinguishable. 

He leaned against the door for an uncomfortably long time, barely hearing anything. The voices spoke rationally, conversing between each other calmly. But as time went on, two voices got significantly louder.

Komaeda and Twogami could be heard clearly through the heavy door. They yelled over each other, getting louder as they fought back with their voices. This made it much easier for Hinata to eavesdrop. 

“Komaeda, I can understand sending an army to go help but going yourself is entirely reckless!” Hinata was shocked to hear Twogami dropping formalities and calling the king by his name.

“Sonia has never conducted a battle by herself before. Let me help her!”

“Her Majesty can learn now, it’s too risky to send you out there!” Hinata scoffed as Twogami went back to formalities.

“I’ve been to war before, I know what I’m doing!”

“Never on the battlefield, what would happen if your health decided to act up during an attack?!” Komaeda’s response was slightly delayed.

“I can keep a nurse by my side-”

“They’ll get killed, how would a doctor survive on a battlefield! Your health is far too fragile for the intensity of war!” The room got quiet as Hinata’s eyes grew bigger.

It wasn't a major surprise, the king’s complexion and pills do indicate a lack of healthiness. Even though he was still thoroughly shocked and concerned about the new information. Just what illness did Komaeda have? And exactly how bad was it?

Hinata was snapped out of his thoughts by a distinctively loud cough from the room.

“Your Majesty, I suggest you reconsider your choices. Please, put your health and the country’s well being first.” Twogami was back to his cold yet calm tone. Hinata heard footsteps get louder and louder as Hinata quickly backed away from the door, turning the corner to hide.

Twogami briskly strolled out the room with a pained expression, one Hinata has never seen before. Hinata watched him walk further away before stopping and turning around, making direct eye contact with Hinata.

“I-I..uhh-”

“You were listening in weren’t you?” Twogami sadly spoke.

“P-perhaps...I was curious…”

“...I’m willing to speak if you have questions,” Hinata lit up, a tender smile growing, “Privately, of course.” Twogami started to walk away but Hinata jogged to catch up, walking beside the advisor.

The pair strolled into a storage room which was brimming with crates of cloth and silk, a single minuscule window lighting up the room just enough to see where everything was. Twogami closed the door behind himself.

“Couldn’t we have talked in a drawing room?” Hinata questioned.

“We are less likely to be disturbed here, now ask your questions.” Hinata scratched his neck as he tried to find a way to word his queries correctly.

“I...didn’t hear much during the meeting. But, I overheard something about an illness?” Twogami wore a pained expression.

“Ah, yes...His Majesty has unfortunately been sick from a young age; A type of dementia…his life span wasn’t expected to reach past his teenage years yet miraculously he’s still alive. However, that only means his dementia has gotten worse with age. I fear he may act irrationally in a stressful environment, and with his lack of strength it could be fatal..” Twogami had avoided eye contact the entire time. Hinata stayed silent as he let the new information sink in.

Hinata tried to form some sort of words but was left with only saying a collective sound of noises. 

“I am simply telling you this since you’ve worked directly under His Majesty for a while now. But you mustn’t tell a soul. His Majesty’s illness has not been told to the public to avoid any form of panic. I simply want you to understand why he can’t leave for the battlefield.”

“I...I understand...thank you…” Hinata was still left in utter shock but slowly calmed down. 

“Thank you, Hinata. I fear I have to leave fairly soon,” Twogami checked his golden pocket watch, “Feel free to ask me about any of your queries, I will try my best to answer.” Hinata nodded. Twogami started to walk off before stopping at the door.

“By the way, I recall hearing that there is a letter for you in the front office.” Hinata sighed and groaned but ultimately thanked Twogami as he watched him leave the storage room. 

Hinata stood silently in that room as he let the new information sit for a while before heading out to go retrieve the dreaded letter.

He already knew well who the sender was. He had been receiving handfuls of letters for a while now. Luckily, no one questioned it. He dragged himself over to the office and saw the cynical letter lying for him.

He grabbed a nearby letter opener and sliced the envelope cleanly. He knew that he shouldn’t read the letters, should just throw them into an open fire and watch it burn and crinkle away. But even while he was imagining the beige letter turning into a black crisp in an orange flame, he was already reading the letter.

_ Dear Hinata, _

_ I’ve lost count of the pounds of letters I have sent you. But alas, not like I care about it. Just knowing you’re still receiving and reading these is enough to make my dear heart corrupt in joy. I never perceived you as a gentleman with your painfully average face and personality, but you clearly know how to make a poor lady squeal in joy. _

_But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, you keep reading these for a reason. Let’s see, do you know about the parade that kingdoms hold? When a royal heir reaches the age of 6, the public finally gets to see the child’s face. Do you know about it? Do you perhaps...remember it? Of course with an average commoner brain like yours, you likely haven’t remembered. I could tell you, I know everything_ ~~ _Izu_~~ _Hinata. You should just come here, I’ll tell you_ _everything_ _you ever wanted to know. Visit soon~_

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Queen Junko Enoshima of Hope’s Peak _

Hinata rubbed his head, already feeling a headache form from just a simple letter. The paper looked so burnable, with the Hope’s Peak crest stamped messily upon the sheet.

But like every other time, he stuffed it away in his back pocket. Only to store the paper with the rest of her other letters deep inside his journal, to keep as more proof and information of his past life. He had doubted the likelihood of royal heritage for quite a while. But Junko’s letters were changing his mind surprisingly fast, he was truly starting to believe it. 

Hinata shook his head, pushing any thought of Junko aside before leaving the office. He had to keep an eye on Komaeda, in case he does try to leave.

\--

It was the middle of the night when Hinata was oddly awakened. He was having a dreamless sleep with Hope nestled by his side before being awoken. The palace was silent, not a single sound could be heard in the hallway and Hope was soundly asleep. 

It was when Hinata settled back onto his pillow that he heard some sort of commotion outside. Even though his body was begging him to not leave his sheets, he clawed his way out of his bed and stumbled to the window. 

It was far too dark to see anything but he could recognise a large group of people gathered near the palace gate. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that all the people were on horseback and their clothing seemed to shine in the moonlight.

His brain finally caught up and Hinata panicked. Those people were army men. Hinata tried to spot a head of white hair amongst the soldiers but couldn’t see any. 

Hinata quickly ran to his bathroom, swinging open the secret passage and running through it. He threw open the other door to Komaeda’s room. The chamber was empty but the curtains wrapped around Komaeda’s bed were still closed. Hinata hurriedly opened the curtains to find an empty bed.

Hinata ran back to the window to witness the entire army riding out of the palace grounds and towards the city. Komaeda had to have gone with them.

His shoulders fell as all the tension left him. He was too late to stop Komaeda. All he could do was hope he would be okay.

He trudged back to his room with a saddened look plastered on his face. He crawled back into his bed and felt Hope curl closer to him. He painfully smiled and patted the dog as he slowly calmed himself to sleep again.

\--

The country was in absolute shock at the news. Panic swept through everyone as Twogami worked out a way to keep the country intact with the disappearance of the king. Hinata had nestled himself onto his bed, covers drawn over his shoulders. The sheer dismay that was radiating off everyone was getting to his head so he departed to his room to rest. Hope was running around his room, playing with a toy Hinata had retrieved off Gundham.

And while he sat and sulked, there was a weight in one of his hands. Another letter.

Even though the paper was the lightest thing in his room, he knew the contents would crush him like an anvil. He had not read it yet, he had to prepare himself mentally. Hinata took a few deep breaths before unfolding the letter, a sick feeling of dread building up.

Even though the last thing he needed was Junko’s words, he felt as if he could find a morbid feeling of comfort from it.

_ Dear Hinata, _

_ I have heard some interesting news on your part, don’t you think so? Nothing’s more scandalous than a king running away to partake in a war~ _

_ Of course, I’ll always take a challenge, I’m sure poor little Komaeda helping out will make things interesting. Oh, but your king’s in danger! Don’t you want to help him, Hinata? _

_ I’m sure you remember my appetising offer, I’ll add a bonus just for you! Come visit me for a while and I’ll surrender! I really don’t care about Novoselic or the queen for that matter. I’d happily drop the war if you’d visit lonely me~ _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Queen Junko Enoshima of Hope’s Peak _

Hinata let out a long groan and dropped his back onto his bed. Hinata would be lying if he said he didn’t want Komaeda back. He’d be much happier if he could at least know he was okay. Even if it meant going to that bitch of a woman.

Hinata stuffed the letter into his journal and decided to sleep the day away, he needed some time to rest after everything. He slowly fell into another dreamless sleep with the sound of Hope running out of his room. 

\--

Weeks passed and the country calmed down. Spring was taking its effect and Twogami was leading the country as Komaeda’s replacement. Sonia had sent Twogami a letter declaring Komaeda’s safe arrival and that she would keep an eye on the boy and prevent him from venturing to the front line of the battlefield. 

The letter had calmed Hinata down significantly when it arrived. He wholeheartedly trusted Sonia and believed she would keep her word. And so, the country settled their panic with the public announcement of the letter and a grand speech from Twogami’s part. 

Along with the King’s departure, the workload on Hinata’s part fell drastically. He chose to help Twogami whenever he needed it but he never asked for Hinata’s assistance apart from the occasional request of a small snack between meals. Hinata would normally wander the palace, help other coworkers or his friends or just relax.

Currently, he was helping Makoto weed out dandelions and weeds from an older patch of flowers that had just started to bloom. The two had a loose conversation, bouncing between different discussion topics.

Junko’s letters had started to pile up, the amount only seeming to increase by each passing day. She would provide Hinata with an update of her side of the war before rambling on either about Izuru or herself. Of course, Hinata read them all. He had tried to get rid of them but always found some sort of ridiculous reason to keep them.

This also meant that with each passing day, the thought of going to Hope’s Peak was getting stronger. If Komaeda could truly come home knowing Sonia wouldn’t have to fight a war, maybe it was worth it to go. He could learn so much but staying near that witch for longer than five minutes would slowly kill him.

He sighed loudly and caught Makoto’s attention.

“Are you okay? I know things are difficult but I’m-”

“I’m okay, thank you.” Hinata forced a smile, hoping it would calm his friend.

“Alright, just take it easy if you're stressed.”

“Not like I have much work now,” Hinata playfully scoffed. 

“But you’re still helping around the castle, even if you're not obliged to,” Makoto pointed out as Hinata shrugged.

“I’d just get bored of sitting around.” The two then grew silent, continuing to rip out weeds from the soil. Hinata hummed a tune he had heard Mioda play the day before but paused when he noticed Makoto’s abnormal behaviour.

“What’s wrong?” Makoto looked around the area before training his eyes on the front gate. 

“I hear something…” They sat in silence when Hinata picked up the noise. It sounded like a carriage along with a plethora of people shouting commands of some sort. 

Guards hastily opened the front gate, and a pure black carriage rolled in. Guards surrounded the carriage as they ran to where the carriage door, outside of Hinata’s view. 

Then, a handful of nurses sprinted out of the castle, running to where the guards were. Hinata felt a sense of dread creep up as worst-case scenarios took over his thoughts. The last thing both Makoto and Hinata saw was the group of nurses carrying and surrounding a stretcher as guards followed.

“What...happened?” Makoto spoke slowly as Hinata stood up and brushed off the dirt from his hands.

“I’ll go ask someone, I’ll tell you if I find out anything.” Hinata started to walk off, looking behind him to wave at Makoto. 

He strolled inside the castle and was attacked by the clear sound of whispering, every worker had briefly paused their task to murmur and whisper between each other. Hinata’s first thought was to ask Twogami so he strolled his way to Twogami’s office before knocking on the door.

The door violently swung open to reveal to dishevelled Twogami who was wiping sweat from his brow using a handkerchief.

“Have you heard?” Twogami spoke in a surprisingly calm tone considering his condition.

“No? I was going to ask-” 

“His Majesty got attacked. Her Majesty sent him back so he could heal fully and rest,” Hinata’s body froze, “The king is safe and alive. Feel free to visit him when you like.” Hinata stiffly nodded, quietly thanking the advisor. 

Hinata turned his body around and paced to the infirmary. He was eager to see Komaeda again but he’d have no clue what to say or do. The urge to slap and yell at him was strong but the urge to crumble and cry was strong too. He elected to just figure it out when he made it and before he knew it, he was positioned directly in front of the infirmary door.

He bravely swung the door wide open and was met with a dozen surprised nurses. 

“My apologies if you’re here to see His Majesty, we’re currently not allowing-”

“Hajime Hinata, correct?” Another nurse spoke up while the original one was bowing politely to him. 

“Yes?” 

“This way.” The nurse walked off with a ridiculous speed that Hinata stumbled as he tried to keep up. They didn't talk as the nurse led him to a pale door at the end of the hallway.

“Don’t take too long,” Hinata nodded before turning the handle of the patient door and stepping inside.

Once Hinata had stepped inside the room, he paused momentarily. Komaeda was sitting on the bed with bandages and gauze covering his chest, he was still absorbed in his book and hadn’t noticed Hinata’s entry.

There was a plain wooden stool neatly positioned by Komaeda’s bed which Hinata went to sit on, finally catching Komaeda’s gaze. 

“Ah, Hinata…” Komaeda bookmarked his page before closing it, setting it to the side.

Hinata couldn’t bring himself to say anything. His mind was clouded with so many thoughts he didn't know where to start. He sorted through a series of questions before settling on an easy one.

“What happened out there? Why did you come back?” Hinata softly spoke, staring at Komaeda’s bedsheets.

“There was a surprise attack on the camp. A few arrows managed to hit me but nothing too serious, Sonia sent me back to take a full recovery.” Komaeda subconsciously started to rub his bandaged shoulder, likely where the arrows hit him. 

“...will you go back once you’ve recovered?” Hinata whispered.

“...yes,” Hinata finally looked up and met Komaeda’s eyes as he kept talking, “The war is stressing Sonia out dearly. She already has piles of responsibilities from simply becoming queen but she conducted her attacks surprisingly well. I simply wish to support her as best as I can.” Komaeda tried to smile but was cut off by a painful wince, rubbing his shoulder more to try and soothe the pain. Hinata still couldn't find the right words.

“Oh and...I’m sorry for running off. I’m aware I caused quite a disturbance for everyone.” Komaeda looked away, fiddling with the loose threads of his duvet as Hinata straightened in shock.

“I think you should be saying that to the public, not just me…” Hinata awkwardly chuckled, finding no heart to put effort into it.

“I know, and I will...just...I feel bad for getting angry and throwing my troubles at you.” 

“It’s okay, I forgive you…” Hinata briefly stood up and went to sit on Komaeda’s bed instead, turning his legs towards the injured king.

“Everything with Junko has been...so stressful. I don’t want you to fall under her influence…” Komaeda stared intensely as his bedsheets, Hinata’s eyes trained on the same spot.

“Is that why you got so defensive?” Hinata briefly looked up to watch Komaeda nodded before darting his eyes back down.

“I had a friend when I was a child, she was a sweet girl but gravely submissive. When we both reached our teenage years, she had stumbled into Junko and immediately fell into her grasp. Her personality changed completely and she became utterly devoted to Junko. It was so painful to watch as she lost her personality, feelings and charm...She ran off with Junko one night and I haven’t heard or seen her since…” Komaeda was starting to mess with his duvet as he talked while Hinata patiently listened.

“Even though she was horribly clumsy and cried frequently, she had a good heart and was amazingly talented. I just hope her religious-like devotion to Junko hadn’t stopped her from pursuing her skills…” Komaeda took a deep breath and met Hinata’s eyes again.

“Don’t worry, I absolutely despise Junko. I don’t know what in the seven great seas would change my mind.” They both chuckled briefly until Komaeda grabbed Hinata’s arm with his uninjured hand, pulling him forward into a hug.

Hinata froze at the sudden contact but quickly moved his arms around Komaeda’s back. One of Komaeda’s hands reached Hinata’s back as the other hand laid limp on his side.

“You be careful yourself, especially if you plan to go back out there,” Hinata whispered as he rested his chin on Komaeda’s uninjured shoulder. 

“Do you suddenly approve of my decision to go back out to war?” Komaeda whispered back.

“Not at all, I wished you wouldn’t but I don’t think I would be able to stop you.” Hinata sighed in Komada’s ear as the king chuckled.

They stayed in that position for a few seconds longer before pulling back, both smiling softly. 

“I’ll let you rest now, I have some work to do of my own.” Hinata stood up as he brushed off imaginary dust from his clothing.

“Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Hinata looked back to Komaeda and silently nodded.

Hinata strolled his way over to the door, preparing himself to open it before pausing.

“Before I go, do be nice to Twogami. I don’t think he’s gonna be too happy.” Komaeda smiled and laughed at his comment.

“I’m aware, I’ll be gentle with him. Goodnight Hinata.” Komaeda waved as Hinata left, silently closing the door behind him as he wormed his way out of the infirmary.

He grimaced as many thoughts stuck to his brain. He knew he wouldn’t be able to prevent Komaeda from leaving the castle but he might have a chance of ending the war for good if he negotiated with the other side of the field. 

He hated the idea of it, but if Hinata were able to keep both Sonia and Komaeda safe from harm and stress, he would take the leap. 

Hinata took a deep breath and departed to his room to plan his escape.

\--

Night had made its claim over Jabberwock as Hinata had a satchel open on his bed, half-filled with his belongings. 

He wandered around his room, collecting his goods that he deemed valuable enough to take. The satchel was made of a strong leather but was more on the smaller side. Even with that in mind, he was able to fit almost everything inside excluding a handful of clothing provided by the castle.

The pacing helped to clear his mind and psych himself up. He pushed in a few more items, including his journal, and closed the bag tightly. Hinata deeply sighed as he put on his bag and wrapped a thin coak around his body. He blew out the candle near his bed, letting the moonlight lead him to his desk where his grappling hook laid. 

He slowly picked up the hook, letting the weight sit in his hands for a few seconds before looking up at the open window, his curtains swaying with the wind.

Hinata lifted his leg and steadied his foot on his desk, pushing himself up so he could lean out of his window. A sense of nostalgia washed over him as he dug the hook into the wall and threw the rope out the window. 

He slid down the wall the same way he did the night with Komaeda and felt a sickening sense of dread once he hit the ground. Adjusting the strap of his satchel once more, he managed to get the hook back down and didn’t bother to neatly wrap up the rope as he crept over to the castle wall opposite his window.

He looked upwards at the grand castle wall. He dreaded going over the wall as spikes and defence mechanisms lined the wall and the land after it. However, going through the gate would be suicidal and would get him in a load of trouble. 

He swung his hook around before throwing it up, hoping for the hook to land on the wall. It took an embarrassing amount of tries but finally managed to land the hook directly into the stone, pulling on the rope so the hook would dig deeper into the stone. 

Hinata fist-bumped the air as he prepared to climb the wall but abruptly stopped at the harsh sound of barking. Looking to his right, Hope had ran up to him while barking like a maniac.

“Shhhh!” Hinata whispered loudly, letting the dog run into his arms. Hope barked and whimpered while licking Hinata’s face. Hinata continued to pet and scratch the dog, gently quieting him.

Hinata stood up and Hope went straight for his thighs, resting his front paws on them as he continued to whimper at him. He felt a deep sadness course through him as his shoulder slumped.

He didn't want to leave, he thoroughly enjoyed his stay at the castle and the friends he made there. But Hinata also had people he wanted to help and protect, even if it meant leaving the comfort of his country.

Hinata leaned down to hug Hope and kiss his head before gripping onto the rope once again. He jumped and landed his feet on the wall, pulling himself up on the rope with determined strength. 

Once he reached the spikes at the top, Hinata grabbed onto the base of one of them as he unhooked the grappling hook from the stone. He felt lightheaded as his support was stripped out from under him but he steadied himself with the wall and spike as he attached the hook onto the other side of the wall.

Grabbing the rope on the other side, he threw himself onto the other side of the wall and hastily slipped down onto the dirt under him. Once he reached the ground, he let himself take a breather.

Grabbing his grappling hook back and attaching it to his satchel, he ran off into town without stopping. He ran and ran, never letting himself stop for air. The city lanterns shined the streets as he ran to his first destination. 

He weaved past houses and signs until he found himself in front of a certain shop, a shop that rented horses for tourists to use. He had noticed the shop while on a walk with Makoto but never suggested going. He stormed into the shop and ran into the stable area upon noticing that no one was inside.

He walked towards a dark brown horse that had his equipment already laid on the side, likely an employee who left before packing away. Hinata broke the lock on the stable door before grabbing the horse's reins and saddle. He clipped each part into place, making sure everything was securely attached before clambering his way onto the horse. Hinata was thankful that no one was around to watch as he fell and groaned while struggling to sit on the horse.

Once he finally made it on top of the horse, he squeezed its side and the horse was off. Hinata noticed a fence near the stable that led out into the street and squeezed the horse once again to get it to start galloping. 

He braced himself as the horse leapt over the gate before landing almost gracefully onto the pavement. Hinata sighed a deep sense of relief, rolling out the stress from his shoulders. The hardest part was done, now was just the journey.

Hinata made the horse gallop once again and he quickly raced out of the city, out of Jabberwock as a whole. The wind blowing his hair and the hood back. He let out a short laugh at the feeling but couldn't ignore the cauldron of anxiety and guilt stirring in his stomach.


End file.
